Germany: Literacy rate: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.00 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Germany from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

Historical dataset showing Germany literacy rate by year from N/A to N/A.

When asked about "Attitudes towards the internet", most German respondents pick "It is important to me to have mobile internet access in any place" as an answer. 49 percent did so in our online survey in 2025. Looking to gain valuable insights about users of internet providers worldwide? Check out our reports on consumers who use internet providers. These reports give readers a thorough picture of these customers, including their identities, preferences, opinions, and methods of communication.

In the past five decades, the global literacy rate among adults has grown from 67 percent in 1976 to 87.36 percent in 2023. In 1976, males had a literacy rate of 76 percent, compared to a rate of 58 percent among females. This difference of over 17 percent in 1976 has fallen to just seven percent in 2020. Although gaps in literacy rates have fallen across all regions in recent decades, significant disparities remain across much of South Asia and Africa, while the difference is below one percent in Europe and the Americas. Reasons for these differences are rooted in economic and cultural differences across the globe. In poorer societies, families with limited means are often more likely to invest in their sons' education, while their daughters take up a more domestic role. Varieties do exist on national levels, however, and female literacy levels can sometimes exceed the male rate even in impoverished nations, such as Lesotho (where the difference was over 17 percent in 2014); nonetheless, these are exceptions to the norm.

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) measured proficiency on three scales: prose literacy, document literacy, and quantitative literacy. In addition, also background information of participants were assessed: general information (e.g., age, sex, country of birth, language); education (e.g., highest educational achievement, current education, participation in training); current status and work history; current and recent work (e.g., profession, self-employment, and income); skill use (Literacy, Numeracy) at work.

Background questionnaire:

1. General information: born in Germany; country of birth; highest level of schooling before immigration (ISCED); years of formal education completed; highest level of schooling completed (ISCED); second level program (academic/college preparatory, bunisiness (commercial) or trade/vorcational); reasons why the respondent stopped schooling; first language (mother tongue); forein language skills; language spoken at home; language in which the respondent can express himself most easily; information on respondent´s parents: born in Germany, highest level of schooling;

2. Information on current and recent employment: current work situation; employed in the past 12 months; year last worked; number of different employers in the past 12 months; full-time or part-time employment; reasons for working part-time; Major Heading International Standard Industrial Classification for the respondent’s primary employment(ISICR); Major Heading International Standard Classification of Occupations for the respondent’s primary occupation (ISCOR); size of business; employment status; hours worked per week; during the past 12 months: number of week worked at all jobs; wanted to work in the weeks without work; reasons why the respondent did not want to work;

3. Reading and writing at work: skill use at work (Literacy: e.g. letters or memos, reports, articles, magazines or journal, etc.); write or fill out as part of main job (letters or memos, forms or things such as bills, invoices, or budgets, reports or articles, estimates or technical specifications); use mathematics as part of main job (measure or estimate the size or weight of objects, caluculate prices, costs or budgets); self-rating of reading skills, and writing skills in German; extent of limitation of job opportunities by reading skills, and writing skills in German; rating of mathematical skills for the main job; extent of limitation of job opportunities by mathematical skills.

4. Adult education and training: training or education since August 1994; number of courses in the past 12 months; major field of study (up to three courses); training or education was financially supported by the respondent himself or his family, by an employer, the government, etc.; intended aim of these training courses (e.g. a university degree/ diploma/ certificate, a trade-vocational diploma, etc.); provider of this training or education; weeks the course(s) lasted; number of days per week; main reason for course particiaption; extent of using the skills or knowledge acquired in this training or education at work; suggestion to take this cours(es) by the respondent himself, by friends or family, employer, other employees, etc.; training or education was provided through: classroom instructions, seminars or workshops, educational software, etc.

5. Reading and writing general: frequency of activities (use a public library, attend a movie, play or concert, attend or take part in a sporting event, write e.g. letters more than one page in length, participate in volunteer or community organisations, reading newspapers or magazines, reading books, listening to radio, records, tapes cassettes or compact discs); hours per day watching television or videos; currently in the home: daily newspaper/magazines, weekly newspaper/magazines, more than 25 books, a multi-volume encyclopedia, a dictionary; frequency of how often the respondent needs help from others with reading newspaper articles, reading information from government agencies, filling out forms, reading instructions such as on medicine bottles, reading instructions on packaged goods in stores, doing basic arithmetic, and writing notes and letters; self-rating of skills needed in daily life: reading and writing skills in German as well as of mathematical skills; impairment by eye/visual trouble or/and a learning disability; problems occurred while the respondent were in primary or secondary school; impai...

In 2020, ** percent of skilled labor businesses in Germany stated they experienced problems with finding qualified employees. ** percent had difficulties filling apprenticeship positions. The figures are based on a survey conducted in Germany in 2020, asking skilled labor businesses about their employees' digital literacy.

The objective of this study was to describe the levels of general and digital health literacy of vocational and university students in allied health professions in Germany and to explore possible influencing factors. In an exploratory, quantitative cross-sectional study, an online survey was set up to assess the general and the digital health literacy of vocational and university students in allied health professions in Germany. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires. The survey was conducted in December 2022 and included sociodemographic variables, health behavior, and self-reported health literacy. The final data set includes the data of 655 study participants.

(GESAGT study: Gesundheitskompetenz der Studierenden und Auszubildenden der Gesundheits- und Therapiewissenschaften in Deutschland (Health literacy of vocational and university students in allied health professions in Germany)

This study examined levels of students’ reading literacy across countries, as well as the nature of reading instruction and the relationships between reading comprehension and aspects of home and school environment. The data were collected in 1990–1991. Two target populations were included in the study: nine-year-old students and 14-year-old students in 32 countries. The international coordinating center for the Reading Literacy Study established within the Faculty of Education, University of Hamburg , Germany, worked in close cooperation with IEA, and the national centers of participating education systems. RL_II Educational measurements and tests

BackgroundHealth literacy (HL) is considered to be an important precondition for health. HL research often identifies migrants as vulnerable for low HL. However, in-depth data on HL among migrants especially in its domains of health care, disease prevention and health promotion and its determinants are still scarce.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was therefore to analyse the current status of HL among migrants and their descendants from Turkey and from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in Germany and factors associated with it. This has not been studied using large-scale data and bilingual interviews. We differentiate between dimensions of HL, namely the domains of health care, disease prevention and health promotion which goes beyond many previous studies. In addition, we explore new mechanisms by testing the explanatory power of self-efficacy and interethnic contacts for migrants' HL.MethodsThe study includes 825 first- and second-generation adult migrants from two of the largest immigration groups in Germany, from Turkey and FSU, who were interviewed face-to-face in German, Turkish or Russian in late summer 2020. HL was measured using the HLS19-Q47 instrument. Age, gender, educational level, social status and financial deprivation, chronic illness, health-related literacy skills, self-efficacy, interethnic contacts, migration generation, duration of stay and region of origin were considered as possible determinants. Ordinary least square regressions were estimated.ResultsThe average general HL score was 65.5. HL in health promotion and disease prevention was lower than in health care. Low financial deprivation, health-related literacy skills, and self-efficacy were positively correlated with each HL domain. Educational level, social status, age, gender, duration of stay and interethnic contacts were positively correlated with HL in some domains. Region of origin was only correlated with the domain of disease prevention until interethnic contact was accounted for.ConclusionOur study contributes to the existing knowledge by analyzing different domains of HL and testing its correlations with self-efficacy and interethnic contact among migrants. We reveal that migrants cannot generally be considered as vulnerable for low HL, as oftentimes outlined. There is a need for interventions e.g. to enhance the understanding of health information among subgroups with lower HL.

The second Level-One Study 2018 (LEO 2018) measures the reading and writing skills of the German-speaking adult population (ages 18-64) and reports this differentiated for the lower skill levels of reading and writing - the so-called alpha levels. The study builds on the results of the LEO - Level-One study from 2010. The study includes a representative sample of 7,192 respondents. The goal of the study is to capture the current magnitude of the phenomenon of low literacy among adults. More than the previous study, it is devoted to concrete questions of participation, everyday practices, and competencies in various areas of life:- Digital practices and basic skills- Financial practices and basic skills- Health-related practices and basic skills- Political practices and basic skills- Writing-related practices in the context of work, family, and everyday life- Literacy in the context of continuing education- Literacy in the context of migration and multilingualismThe results show that among German-speaking adults in 2018, about 12 percent read and write at a low proficiency level. Compared to the results of the LEO - Level-One study from 2010, this represents a decrease of 2.4 percentage points. Extrapolated to the population, about 6.2 million adults remain in the low literacy range (2010: 7.5 million adults).

Association of health literacy levels (HLS-EU-Q16) and health care use in participants with cardiovascular diseases1 > = 40 years.

These data and Stata-Do-Files replicate the results from the paper "Attitudes towards Coronavirus Protection Measures among German School Students – the Effects of Education and Knowledge about the Pandemic". This paper addresses the question of how school students in Germany perceive the Coronavirus protection measures taken by policymakers. Based on this, it investigates to what extent a better understanding of the spread of the virus as well as in more general terms the students’ objective and self-perceived, subjective knowledge about the pandemic impact their assessment of the situation. The analyses are based on a sample of 563 German school students (ages 12-25). Part I of the analysis shows that after more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic 1) a significant exponential growth bias (EGB) is still existent, 2) this bias can be reduced by giving simple educational nudges but 3) this treatment has neither a major effect on the general approval of anti-COVID-19 measures nor on the willingness of the participants to perform specific protective measures themselves. Part II illustrates that both subjective and objective knowledge increase the approval/willingness for most protective measures.

** percent of German companies stated their apprentices were at the "very good" level as far as IT security knowledge was concerned. ** percent, on the other hand, had the opposite opinion, saying that there was room for improvement. The survey was conducted in 2019 to learn about apprentice's digital media literacy in German companies.

IntroductionDepressive disorders constitute a significant public health challenge. Health literacy might be an important factor to consider in prevention strategies for depressive disorders, which is why this study aimed at exploring the association between depressive symptom levels and severity and health literacy, along with additional sociodemographic factors.Materials and methodsData were collected from two large samples of adults (N = 3,011) and adolescents (N = 1,021) representative of the German-speaking population in Germany. Levels of health literacy (HLS-EU-Q16 questionnaire), depressive symptom severity, rates of depression levels (PHQ-9 questionnaire) and sociodemographic information (age, gender, social status, level of education) were obtained. The associations between sociodemographic factors, health literacy and depression were analyzed using t-tests, analyses of variance and χ2-tests.ResultsOverall, rates of depression were high in both samples (16.5% in adults and 18.4% in adolescents) when measured with the sum score ≥ 10 cut-off criterion and substantially lower when assessed with the diagnostic algorithm criterion (7.2% in adults and 9.8% in adolescents). Rates of depression and severity of depressive symptoms were higher in female than male individuals in both samples. Depressive symptom severity and depression rates increased with increasing age in adolescents and decreased with increasing age in adults. Higher levels of education and lower social status were associated with higher depressive symptom severity and rates in adults, with a more heterogeneous picture in adolescents. In both samples, depressive symptom severity and rates were higher in individuals with poorer health literacy.DiscussionThe results point to a potential role for health literacy in preventing depressive disorders. More research is needed with longitudinal and experimental study designs into the question whether public health interventions targeting health literacy improvements could play a critical role in reducing the burden of depression across different age cohorts.

ObjectivesKnowledge concerning antibiotic use in the general population is insufficient. The way health literacy is related to antibiotic use aside from knowledge needs further investigation. Our aim was to compare the levels of knowledge of antibiotics and health literacy in individuals who had taken antibiotics in recent years compared with those who not had taken antibiotics.MethodsA population-based cross-sectional survey of 2,000 individuals aged 35 and older from Berlin, Germany and its surrounding rural and suburban areas (response rate 59%) with strata urban/rural, sex, age, and education. Computer-assisted personal interviews were conducted by external, trained interviewers during home visits. Knowledge, health literacy, and antibiotic use were assessed using standardized questionnaires.ResultsIn all, 33.3% (666/2,000) of the participants indicated having had an antimicrobial therapy during the previous 12 months. Adjusting for sex, age, educational level and health literacy, individuals with four correct answers regarding antibiotics were 1.70 times and those with three correct answers 1.94 more likely to have had a history of recent antibiotic use than those who did not have any correct answers. Individuals with sufficient health literacy were 0.57 times less likely to have had a recent history of antibiotic use than individuals with insufficient health literacy.ConclusionPatients who have used antibiotics might have more knowledge as a result of their recent involvement with the topic of antibiotic use; health literacy may be a preventive mechanism to use antibiotics more critically. Besides improving the health knowledge of the general population and of vulnerable groups such as patients with low levels of health literacy, intervention strategies should focus on providers as well.

BackgroundBecause the majority of mental illnesses develop early in life, effective preventative public mental health interventions are needed. Interventions fostering mental health literacy can be used to enhance personal resources and capacities to facilitate mental health care and thus, address help-seeking barriers. A Canadian mental health literacy school curriculum was adapted, piloted, and evaluated for the use in German schools. The study presents the intervention’s effects on mental health knowledge and help-seeking efficacy among 10th grade students in Germany.Methods10th grade students (aged 14–17 years old) from one secondary school participated in a pre- and post-intervention control group study. Both groups completed a questionnaire at two time points assessing mental health knowledge and help-seeking efficacy. Repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to evaluate the intervention’s effects.ResultsData from 188 students was eligible for analysis. The analysis of the baseline data reveals a high comparability of the two groups in terms of demographics, and initial mental health knowledge and help-seeking efficacy scores. ANOVA results showed significant improvements for the intervention group having a large effect size for mental health knowledge (f = 0.574, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.25) and a medium effect size for help-seeking efficacy (f = 0.311, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.09).ConclusionThe first-time application and evaluation of an adapted mental health literacy school curriculum shows significant increases in mental health knowledge and help-seeking efficacy, two core dimensions of mental health literacy, among 10th grade students in Germany. Further studies are needed to confirm these results as well as have a more in-depth analysis on the interrelations of the different dimensions of mental health knowledge and help-seeking practices.

Supplementary Material 1.

Recent evidence demonstrates that Internet Use Disorder tendencies (IUD; formerly known as Internet Addiction) are associated with higher tendencies toward autistic traits. In the present study, we aimed to further explore this association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits in a large cohort of German and Chinese subjects (total N = 1,524; mostly student background) who completed the short Internet-Addiction-Test, the Autism-Spectrum-Quotient, and the Internet-Literacy-Questionnaire. Moreover, the present research also enabled us to study potential differences in the investigated variables between the Chinese and German cultures. First, the results indicated higher occurrence of IUD symptoms in China. Moreover, Chinese subjects scored significantly higher on all ILQ dimensions than German participants, with the exception of self-regulation where the reverse picture appeared. Second, results confirmed a positive association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits both in China and Germany, although effect sizes were low to medium (China: r = 0.19 vs. Germany: r = 0.36). Going beyond the literature, the present study also assessed individual differences in Internet Literacy and shows in how far variables such as technical expertise, production and interaction, reflection and critical analysis as well as self-regulation in the realm of the Internet usage influence the aforementioned association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits. Although the present study is limited by being of correlational nature it is discussed how the association between IUD tendencies and autistic traits might be explained.

The second Level-One Study 2018 (LEO 2018) measures the reading and writing skills of the German-speaking adult population (ages 18-64) and reports this differentiated for the lower skill levels of reading and writing - the so-called alpha levels. The study builds on the results of the LEO - Level-One study from 2010. The study includes a representative sample of 7,192 respondents. The goal of the study is to capture the current magnitude of the phenomenon of low literacy among adults. More than the previous study, it is devoted to concrete questions of participation, everyday practices, and competencies in various areas of life: - Digital practices and basic skills - Financial practices and basic skills - Health-related practices and basic skills - Political practices and basic skills - Writing-related practices in the context of work, family, and everyday life - Literacy in the context of continuing education - Literacy in the context of migration and multilingualism The results show that among German-speaking adults in 2018, about 12 percent read and write at a low proficiency level. Compared to the results of the LEO - Level-One study from 2010, this represents a decrease of 2.4 percentage points. Extrapolated to the population, about 6.2 million adults remain in the low literacy range (2010: 7.5 million adults).

IntroductionA key goal of Climate Change Education (CCE) in schools is promoting climate literacy in students, that is, equipping them with the skills needed to engage in climate-related discourse and actions in an informed way. To determine whether CCE achieves this goal, comprehensive assessment is essential. However, existing assessment instruments focus narrowly on factual scientific knowledge of climate change and offer limited insight into students' broader climate literacy. This study presents the development of an interdisciplinary climate literacy test for secondary students, integrating perspectives from nine school subjects across the natural sciences, social sciences, technology, and the humanities.MethodThe development process involved a cognitive pretest (N = 20), two pilot studies (N1 = 353, N2 = 313), a teacher survey (N = 36), and a validation study (N = 825). We provide a validity argument supporting interpretation of the test score as a meaningful measure of CCE outcomes in secondary education.ResultsThe test difficulty is suited for 9th-grade students (approximately 15 years old) across all school types in Germany. Empirical results support the theoretically derived four-dimensional structure of climate literacy, covering the four competence facets of (1) Dealing with content knowledge, (2) Knowledge generation and evaluation, (3) Information and communication, and (4) Normative evaluation. Correlations with external variables suggest that the test captures a school-related competence that is relevant to students' everyday lives.DiscussionThe developed test provides an interdisciplinary and detailed assessment of secondary students' climate literacy. We recommend its use for comprehensive evaluation of CCE efforts, enabling the design of more targeted and effective interventions.