Performance of U.S. Adults by Sex and Race / Ethnicity

There was no measurable difference in the literacy performance of men and women in Bermuda, Canada, Norway, or the United States (figure 1). However, in Italy and Switzerland, men outscored women. Men outperformed women on the numeracy scale in every country, with a range from 11 points (Italy) to 16 points (Switzerland). In the United States, men scored 15 points higher than women on the numeracy scale.

Racial and ethnic groups vary between countries, so it is not feasible to compare their performance across countries on international assessments. Findings are therefore reported here for the United States only. White U.S. adults outscored Black, Hispanic, and Other adults in both literacy and numeracy (figure 2).

There was no measurable difference in the performance of Blacks and Hispanics in literacy or numeracy.

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