In Canada…

• Almost half of all Canadian adults (48%) have low literacy skills.
• If serious commitments to improve literacy are not made, 47% of adults aged 16 and over—totaling more than 15 million—will continue to have low literacy skills below Level 3 in 2031.
• Level 3 (defined as skill level required for successful high school completion and college entry) is the internationally accepted level of literacy required to cope in a modern society.

In Ontario…

• The world is constantly changing. The economy is constantly changing. The province is constantly changing. Yet low literacy rates in Ontario have remained at approximately 42% for over 10 years.
• As the province of Ontario prepares for the emerging knowledge-based economy, over 50% of the total population has low numeracy performance and 42% has low literacy performance.
• In Ontario, 30% of the population (15 years or age and older) have less than a high school education.
• Almost 40% of youth (16-25) have low literacy performance.
• Over 65% of those with low literacy are of prime working age (26-55).
• There are 832,000 immigrants in Ontario with low literacy performance in English and French.

Canadian Council on Learning – Reading the Future
Reading the Future is the first report of its kind in Canada. It provides Canada's first projections of adult literacy levels, through to 2031; an unprecedented look—more detailed than ever before—at the “face” of low literacy; and effective approaches to improve literacy among six identified groups.

International Adult Literacy Survey Database
Hosted by Statistics Canada, this interactive data tool permits users to retrieve a wide range of literacy data for a number of countries.

Measuring Adult Literacy and Life Skills - International Adult Literacy Survey
Read the latest IALS report published in May 2005 on adult literacy and life skills.

Statistics Canada
Search the Statistics Canada database in English or French for literacy and family literacy statistics and facts.