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PIAAC Cycle 1

PIAAC Cycle 1

Comparison to PIAAC Cycle 1

CSO statistical publication, , 11am

This chapter analyses how the literacy and numeracy proficiency of the adult population aged 16-65 in Ireland has changed between the first and the second cycles of PIAAC, between 2012 and 2023. It will overview the changes in skills proficiency since PIAAC Cycle 1 and the distribution of skills within Ireland since the last assessment.

Please see the OECD's document on the methodological differences between the two Cycles of the Survey of Adult Skills.

In most participating countries, literacy proficiency has either declined or remained unchanged between the two cycles of PIAAC. Literacy proficiency improved in only two countries, remained stable in fourteen, and declined significantly in eleven countries. Proficiency in numeracy has increased in eight countries, has remained unchanged in twelve, and has decreased in seven.

Demographic changes

In most countries participating in PIAAC, the demographic composition of the adult population has changed over the past decade. It is therefore important to note some of the demographic changes that have occurred in Ireland between PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. The Irish population of adults 16-65 has increased significantly in the decade or so since the first cycle of PIAAC, but the composition of the population has also shifted due to factors such as ageing and migration.

Looking at the changes by age group, the proportion of 25–34-year-olds in the PIAAC target population (16-65) decreased between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 by 5%. Conversely the proportion of 45-54 and 55-65 years increased by 3% and 2% respectively. The educational attainment of the adult population has also improved between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. The proportion of adults with tertiary level attainment has increased by 15%, while those with below upper secondary attainment has decreased by 13%. Finally, there have been changes in the proportion of persons who are foreign born to foreign parents which increased by nearly 6%, while the proportion of persons who were native born to native parents decreased by just over 8% in the period between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. See Table 5.1.

Table 5.1 Population changes in Ireland between PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 by age group, educational attainment, and country of birth/native language

Broadly, despite the changes in the composition of the population of Irish adults (16-65) in the intervening period, literacy and numeracy proficiency have remained at the same levels as measured by the first cycle of PIAAC in 2012.  

The mean proficiency score in literacy declined by 3 points between Cycle 1 (267) and Cycle 2 (263), however this decline is not statistically significant. Internationally, literacy proficiency increased significantly in Finland (by 15 points over 11 years) and Denmark (9 points over the same period) and remained unchanged in fourteen countries. On the other hand, eleven countries experienced a significant decline in literacy proficiency. In four of these countries, the decrease in proficiency was particularly large: 31 points in Poland, 28 points in Lithuania, 23 points in South Korea, and 21 points in New Zealand. See Figure 5.1 & Table 5.2.

X-axis labelScore difference
Finland15
Denmark9
Sweden5
Norway4
Flemish Region (Belgium)3
Estonia1
Germany0
Canada-1
England (UK)-1
Chile-2
Netherlands-2
IRELAND-3
Spain-3
Singapore-3
Italy-5
Japan-6
France-7
Czechia-9
Israel-10
Austria-12
United States-12
Hungary-15
Slovak Republic-19
New Zealand-21
Korea (the Republic of) South Korea-23
Lithuania-28
Poland-31
Table 5.2 Literacy mean score by country, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

In numeracy the mean score for adults in Ireland increased by 5 points between Cycle 1 (256) and Cycle 2 (260) however this increase was not statistically significant. The changes in proficiency in numeracy was more favourable than literacy in general across the OECD countries. Eight countries recorded significant increases in numeracy proficiency, with the largest gains observed in Singapore (17 points), Finland (17 points), and Estonia (9 points). Proficiency remained stable in twelve countries and significantly decreased in seven countries. Sizeable drops in numeracy proficiency are observed in Poland (21 points) and Lithuania (22 points). See Figure 5.2 & Table 5.3.

X-axis labelScore Difference
Finland17
Singapore17
Estonia9
Chile8
Denmark8
Norway8
Canada7
Netherlands7
England (UK)7
Spain6
Sweden6
Germany5
IRELAND5
Japan4
France3
Flemish Region (Belgium)3
Czechia-3
Italy-3
Israel-4
Austria-5
United States-7
Korea (the Republic of) South Korea-10
New Zealand-15
Slovak Republic-15
Hungary-17
Poland-21
Lithuania-22
Table 5.3 Numeracy mean score by country, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Change in the distribution of adults across proficiency levels

Literacy levels

In Ireland the share of low-performing adults aged 16-65 (Level 1 and below) in literacy increased from 17% in Cycle 1 to 21% in Cycle 2, however this change was not statistically significant. At the highest literacy proficiency levels Ireland remained stable between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, with 9% scoring at Level 4/5. Fourteen of the participating countries experienced significant increases in the share of adults at the lowest levels of literacy proficiency including Poland, United States, Austria, and New Zealand. In Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Flemish Region (Belgium), and Norway, the share of adults scoring at Level 1 or below in literacy remained stable, while the share of adults performing at Level 4 or 5 increased significantly. See Figure 5.3 & Table 5.4.

Numeracy levels 

For numeracy, the share of low-performing adults aged 16-65 in Ireland (Level 1 and below) was unchanged from Cycle 1 to Cycle 2 remaining stable at 25%. The proportion of adults scoring at Levels 4/5 in numeracy has increased in Ireland by 2% between Cycle 1 (8%) and Cycle 2 (10%) and this was statistically significant. In 12 of the participating countries, the proportion of adults scoring at Levels 4 and 5 in numeracy has increased, while the proportion of those scoring at Level 1 and below has remained unchanged. In four other countries – Austria, Czechia, South Korea, and the United States – the share of low-performing adults in numeracy has increased, while the share of high performers has remained stable. See Figure 5.3 & Table 5.5.

X-axis labelLevel 4/5Level 3Level 2Level 1 and below
Literacy - Cycle 18363817
Literacy - Cycle 29323821
Numeracy - Cycle 18293825
Numeracy - Cycle 210293625
Table 5.4 Literacy proficiency levels by country, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Table 5.5 Numeracy proficiency levels by country, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Further comparison breakdown - Literacy

Gender

The average numeracy score for females aged 16-65 in Ireland remained constant at 265 between PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, but for males aged 16-65 numeracy scores declined by 7 points from 268 to 261 which was statistically significant. It is worth noting that changes in average skills proficiency do not necessarily correspond to changes across the entire proficiency distribution within the country. This decline in male proficiency on numeracy was accompanied by an increase in the percentage of males performing at Level 1 or below, increasing from 18% to 23% which was statistically significant. In contrast, females scoring at Level 1 or below rose only slightly, from 17% to 19% and this was not statistically significant. See Figure 5.4 & Table 5.6.

X-axis labelMaleFemale
Mean Score - Cycle 1268265
Mean Score - Cycle 2261265
Table 5.6 Literacy mean score and proficiency levels of adults in Ireland by gender, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Age Group

When comparing PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 by age group, only individuals aged 16-24 demonstrated an improvement in literacy scores, rising from 271 to 278, but this change was not statistically significant. All other age groups recorded slight declines in proficiency with the 25-34 and 55-65 age groups showing the largest drops as both fell by 7 and 6 points respectively, but these were non-significant changes. When looking at proficiency levels the only statistically significant changes were for those aged 16-24, showing an increase of 6% at level 4 and for those aged 55-65 showing a decrease of 6% at level 3. See Figure 5.5 & Table 5.7.

X-axis label16-24 years25-34 years35-44 years45-54 years55-65 years
Mean Score - Cycle 1271276271259251
Mean Score - Cycle 2278269267256245
Table 5.7 Literacy mean score and proficiency levels of adults in Ireland by age group, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Educational Attainment

Literacy scores declined across all educational attainment levels for adults aged 16-65 between PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. There was a non-significant drop of 4 points for those with lower secondary or below attainment, but for adults aged 16-65 with upper secondary/PLC as their highest attainment level the drop was 11 points, and for those with tertiary level attainment aged 16-65 the drop was 10 points between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, both statistically significant. See Table 5.8.

Table 5.8 Literacy mean score of adults in Ireland by educational attainment, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Country of Birth/Native Language

When analysing the relationship between country of birth/native language across Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 in Ireland, all three categories show higher average literacy scores in Cycle 1 over Cycle 2, however the declines between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 were not statistically significant. See Table 5.9.

Table 5.9 Literacy mean score of adults in Ireland by country of birth/native language, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Immigration Status

Comparing immigration status across Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, 1st generation immigrants showed a 4 point drop while non-immigrants experienced a 3 point decline in average literacy proficiency scores, however these declines were not statistically significant. See Table 5.10.

Table 5.10 Literacy mean score of adults in Ireland by immigration status, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Further comparison breakdown - Numeracy

Gender

Numeracy proficiency scores for both males and females aged 16-65 increased slightly between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. Females aged 16 to 65 in Ireland rose from 250 to 255, while males average score rose from 262 to 265, however these increases were not statistically significant. Looking at the distribution of proficiency scores across the levels the only statistically significant change was for the percentage of females at level 4, which increased by 2% from Cycle 1. See Figure 5.6 & Table 5.11.

X-axis labelMaleFemale
Mean Score - Cycle 1262250
Mean Score - Cycle 2265255
Table 5.11 Numeracy mean score and proficiency levels of adults in Ireland by gender, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Age Group

Between PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 the 16-24 year old age group was the only age cohort with a statistically significant change in numeracy proficiency, showing a 13 point increase. Looking across the proficiency levels, the only statistically significant change was for the 16-24 year old age group at Level 1, which showed a fall of 6% from Cycle 1 to Cycle 2. See Figure 5.7 & Table 5.12.

X-axis label16-24 years25-34 years35-44 years45-54 years55-65 years
Mean Score - Cycle 1258266260250238
Mean Score - Cycle 2271266265253243
Table 5.12 Numeracy mean score and proficiency levels of adults in Ireland by age group, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Educational Attainment

Unlike literacy, numeracy proficiency among adults aged 16 to 65 varied across educational attainment levels between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. Adults with an attainment level to lower secondary education or below increased by 3 points between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, however adults with upper secondary/PLC attainment and adults with tertiary level attainment both declined, however none of the changes for educational attainment were statistically significant between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. See Table 5.13.

Table 5.13 Numeracy mean score of adults in Ireland by educational attainment, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Country of Birth/Native Language

When analysing the relationship between country of birth/native language across Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 in Ireland, there were no statistically significant changes in the three categories. See Table 5.14.

Table 5.14 Numeracy mean score of adults in Ireland by country of birth/native language, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Immigration Status

For numeracy, both immigrants and non-immigrants increased their average numeracy proficiency score between Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. However, these increases were not statistically significant. See Table 5.15.

Table 5.15 Numeracy mean score of adults in Ireland by immigration status, PIAAC Cycle 1 and Cycle 2

Long term trends in Literacy proficiency – PIAAC and IALS

PIAAC was designed to provide reliable comparisons with the results of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), administered in 21 countries between 1994 and 1998. There are 16 countries and economies which participated in both the Survey of Adult Skills and IALS, with results between 13 and 18 years apart, depending on the country.

Focusing on how the long-term trend in average literacy proficiency has evolved between IALS and the first and second cycles of PIAAC, Ireland along with Canada, Chile, the Flemish Region (Belgium), and the Netherlands, literacy proficiency has remained unchanged throughout the entire period.

Of all the participants, only Finland exhibits a pattern of overall improvement, with mean literacy proficiency in 2023 significantly exceeding that found by IALS by 15 points. In Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden, proficiency improved or remained stable over the two cycles of PIAAC, following a drop between IALS and the first cycle of the survey. Conversely, in Czechia and the United States, average proficiency remained stable between IALS and the first cycle of PIAAC but has since decreased. In Hungary, Poland and New Zealand, sizeable increases in literacy proficiency were followed by substantial declines. In Italy and England (United Kingdom), a moderate increase between IALS and the first cycle of PIAAC was followed by no significant change in the next cycle. See Table 5.16.

Table 5.16 Literacy mean score by country in the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and PIAAC Cycle 1 & Cycle 2