The line graph illustrates the proportion of teenagers who are 15 years of age who have low reading and writing skills in four nations. Units are measured in percentage.
In terms of the two countries with the highest levels of low literacy amongst 15-year-olds at the beginning of the period, the percentage in Denmark started the highest at approximately 18 in 2000. It then experienced a slight decrease to end at exactly 15 nine years later. The number in Austria, on the other hand, stood slightly below that of Denmark at just under 15 and it subsequently increased moderately to slightly above 20 in 2003. It was at this point that the figure in Austria surpassed that of Denmark. From that point onwards, the figure remained relatively stable before it witnessed a significant rise to reach a peak and end at around 27 in 2009.
Regarding the other two countries with the lowest levels of poor reading and writing skills for 15-year-olds at the start of the period, the changes that the numbers in both Sweden and Ireland witnessed followed almost the same pattern. The proportion in Sweden started just below that of Austria at around 13 while the one in Ireland stood at slightly above 10 in 2000. For the first three years, the figures in both nations remained relatively stable but after 2003, they both increased moderately until they reached the same point at the end of the period at around 17. The final point surpassed the number in Denmark but it was still far lower than the one in Austria.
Overall, the number of 15-year-olds who suffer from poor literacy rates increased in Austria, Ireland and Sweden while the opposite was true in Denmark. Moreover, while low literacy rates had been the highest in Denmark at the start of the period, it was surpassed by the number in Austria in the end.