The statistics are based on the international survey of adult skills (PIAAC). The Survey was conducted in 31 countries to highlight the extent to which the adult population – aged 16 to 65 – has the skills needed in society and how they are used both at work and at home.

Skills level of Swedish population remains high

In a comparison of the participating OECD countries, Sweden ranks among the top five countries in terms of average scores in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills.

The majority of the Swedish adult population – 63 per cent – has good or very good literacy skills. In the participating OECD countries, an average of 43 per cent of all adults achieve a good level of literacy skills. The Swedish population also has relatively high numeracy skills, but there are differences between women and men. On average, men perform better than women in numeracy – 67 per cent of men have good or very good numeracy skills, compared to 57 per cent of women. The difference between women and men in numeracy was already discernible in 2012 and applied on average to the participating OECD countries.

‘The differences in numeracy skills between women and men are largely due to the choice of educational focus and the use of numeracy at work. In both 2012 and 2023, men use numeracy skills to a greater extent than women, both at and outside work,’ says Lotta Larsson, Analyst at Statistics Sweden.

In all three domains of skills, native-born adults score higher on average than foreign-born adults. In literacy, foreign-born women perform better than foreign-born men. This difference is not observed between native-born women and men.

Men are more likely to choose STEM subjects (information and communication technologies, science, mathematics, engineering, manufacturing and structural engineering) compared to women. Among women aged 25–65 with a post-secondary education of at least 2 years, 17 per cent had an education in STEM subjects. The corresponding proportion for men was 43 per cent. There are also differences in the choice of upper secondary education, where men were more likely to choose an applied technology programme than women.

Adults with lower secondary education and foreign-born adults are more likely to lack sufficient literacy skills

Although Sweden is ranked highly in the international comparison, there is still a fairly large proportion of the Swedish population who have insufficient skills. About 780 000 persons aged 16–65 lack sufficient literacy skills.

Jessica Baldgrim, an analyst at Statistics Sweden, says: ‘There has been no major changes since 2012. For people with insufficient skills, there is a risk of weaker integration into the labour market and reduced ability to fully participation in society. Having insufficient skills can limit the capacity to make informed decisions in everyday life and navigate the complexities of a digitalised societies’

Two groups that lack sufficient skills to a greater extent are adults without upper secondary education and foreign-born adults. One in three foreign-born persons lack sufficient literacy skills in the Swedish language. This means that a significant portion of the foreign-born population has fewer opportunities to participate actively in working life and in society. Among those with a lower secondary education, one in four persons lack sufficient literacy skills.

Conversely, 36 per cent of foreign-born adults have good or very good literacy skills (level 3 or higher). The corresponding proportion among native-born adults is 72 per cent.

More results

Other results in the report show:

• An increase in numeracy skills for both native-born and foreign- born adults between 2012 and 2023. An increase in literacy can be discerned among native-born adults.
• The level of education is an important factor for skills in literacy, numeracy and problem solving.
• Skills among foreign-born adults are affected by educational background, length of stay in Sweden and grounds for settlement.
• Young adults who had high average merit ratings from 9th grade in compulsory school (280–320) have higher level of skills in literacy, numeracy and problem solving later in life, compared to young adults who had low average merit ratings from 9th grade in compulsory school (0–160).
• Among young adults, aged 16–24, the proportion with insufficient reading skills has increased from 9 to 15 percent.
• The average monthly salary is lower for employees with insufficient skills, compared to employees with good or very good skills.
• Individuals with a higher level of skills participate more in non-formal education (courses, seminars, workplace learning and staff training) than those with insufficient skills.
• Adults who use digital devices often in work and in everyday life have higher level of skills than those who use digital devices less frequently.

A more detailed report of this survey is published in a Theme Report.