Austria Warns of Worsening Literacy Rates

(MENAFN) According to Statistics Austria, nearly one-third of Austria’s population demonstrates weak reading abilities, indicating a troubling development.

This downward trend is especially apparent among individuals employed in roles that demand either moderate or minimal qualifications, the national statistical office revealed earlier this week.

Out of Austria's total population of nine million, approximately 2.6 million residents—equating to 29.0 percent—possess limited literacy capabilities, based on the organization’s published data.

This represents a notable rise, as the proportion of people struggling with reading has climbed by 11.9 percent between the years 2012 and 2023.

The typical reading proficiency score for Austrians aged 16 to 65 is recorded at 254 points, which is considerably beneath the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) benchmark of 260 points.

Interestingly, younger adults, specifically those between 16 and 24 years old, exceeded the OECD average.

In contrast, older adults show reading competencies that fall well short of expected standards, according to the agency.

“The differences in reading skills among adults are large, and this gap has continued to widen,” emphasized Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria.

This growing disparity is also linked to changes in reading habits.

The agency highlighted “a particularly strong decline” in the engagement with more demanding reading content such as newspapers and magazines.

Instead, Austrians have increasingly shifted toward reading brief texts like emails.

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