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Reading literacy declines in OECD and Germany
Recent PISA 2025 results indicate a decline in reading literacy across the OECD, with 15-year-olds reaching their lowest average scores. Between 2015 and 2025, the OECD average dropped by 28 points, a decline equivalent to approximately 1.5 school years. Germany has also seen a decline, with 2025 results falling below 2022 levels and marking the lowest scores in the country's PISA history.
Beyond school-age children, the PIAAC 2023 survey shows that 22 percent of German adults aged 16 to 65 possess reading competency at level 1 or below. In response, the organization Improved Reading has launched a campaign in the Berlin U-Bahn, utilizing 400 posters to promote efficient reading skills for both students and professionals.
Educational institutions, such as the Hannah-Arendt-Gymnasium, continue to emphasize reading as a core tool for language development, empathy, and critical thinking, integrating diverse genres from historical novels to graphic novels into their curriculum to foster lifelong literacy.
Entities
Berlin · Friedrich Hasse · Hannah-Arendt-Gymnasium · Improved Reading · OECD
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Germany's 2025 PISA reading results were lower than its 2022 results and represent the lowest recorded levels in the country's PISA history. www.artikel-presse.de · pressnetwork.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] The average reading competency of 15-year-olds in the OECD reached its lowest measured value in 2025. www.artikel-presse.de · pressnetwork.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] Improved Reading is launching a campaign in the Berlin U-Bahn using 400 posters to promote efficient reading skills. www.artikel-presse.de · pressnetwork.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] According to the PIAAC 2023 survey, 22 percent of German adults aged 16 to 65 reach only competency level 1 or below in reading. www.artikel-presse.de · pressnetwork.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] Between 2015 and 2025, average reading competency in the OECD fell by 28 points, equivalent to approximately 1.5 school years. www.artikel-presse.de · pressnetwork.de