Reports and Data

Literacy in Canada

Resources

For many Canadians, literacy refers to a individual’s ability to read and write—something which has come to be known as “basic literacy.”

As the International Council for Adult Education notes, basic literacy is generally understood as:

learning to read and write (text and numbers), reading and writing to learn, and developing these skills and using them effectively for meeting basic needs.

However, as CCL’s 2007 State of Learning report explains, true literacy encompasses much more than just these basic skills. More »

Interactive features
Literacy mapsLiteracy maps

This series of interactive maps provide an in-depth look at literacy scores and levels for provinces, regions and more than 50,000 neighbourhoods across Canada.

Read these tips on how to use the interactive maps.

PALMMLiteracy projections

Calculate adult literacy rates into the future using PALMM (Projections of Adult Literacy—Measuring Movement), an interactive online complement to Reading the Future: Planning to meet Canada’s future literacy needs (2008) and The Future of Literacy in Canada's Largest Cities (2010).

Reports
Literacy 2031

Future of LiteracyThe Future of Literacy in Canada's Largest Cities
Thanks to new, previously unreleased data, CCL is now able to provide literacy projections on an unprecedented city level. CCL’s new report, The Future of Literacy in Canada’s Largest Cities, offers adult literacy projections for Canada’s largest cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa. (September 2010)

Reading the Future

Reading the FutureReading the Future: Planning to meet Canada’s future literacy needs
This groundbreaking report provides Canada’s first projections of adult literacy levels. (June 2008)

State of Learning in Canada

The State of Learning in CanadaState of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review
The 2009–2010 State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review report provides the most up-to-date information available on Canada’s learning landscape, and in the process helps contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how Canadians are faring as lifelong learners. (March 2010)

The State of Adult Learning and Workplace Training in CanadaSecuring Prosperity through Canada’s Human Infrastructure: The State of Adult Learning and Workplace Training in Canada
This report focuses on how adult learning —all forms of learning undertaken by adults beyond initial education and training — can help to foster a more secure future for Canadians and Canada. (September 2009)

State of Learning in Canada 2008State of Learning in Canada: Toward a Learning Future
This report provides an overview of how well Canadians are equipped to meet the demands of our collective future. (July 2008)

State of Learning in Canada 2007State of Learning in Canada: No Time for Complacency
This report examines Canada’s state of learning in early childhood, at school, through adulthood, in the workplace and for Aboriginal Peoples, with a special feature on literacy that touches on all these areas (Learning and Literacy: Canada’s Challenges—chapter 6). (January 2007)

Health Literacy in Canada

Health Literacy in Canada 2008Health Literacy in Canada: A Healthy Understanding
This report examines the relationship between levels of health literacy and health outcomes (e.g., diabetes). It also outlines how certain characteristics, such as education and age, can affect health literacy. (February 2008)

Health Literacy in Canada 2007Health Literacy in Canada: Initial Results from the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS)
The results used in this report are derived from health-related literacy tasks that were included in the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALSS). (September 2007)

Videos

Reading the FutureSuccess stories: Turning the page on low literacy
This Reading the Future video series consists of first-person accounts of six inspirational adults who have worked to overcome low literacy.

Fact Sheets
Lessons in Learning

Lessons in Learning Lessons in Learning is published to provide Canadians with independent information about 'what works' in learning. Read articles related to gender differences in reading achievement, improving literacy levels among Aboriginal Canadians, and the relationship between literacy and health.


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