National Adult Literacy Database

This document was prepared by Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO), a network of more than a hundred community-based Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) agencies located across that province.

In this document, the authors present 20 reasons why investing in Ontario’s LBS programs makes sense economically. The authors note that a one per cent increase in literacy skills would lead to an increase of $18.5 billion per year in Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The authors point out that low literacy skills are associated with lower rates of employment; poorer health; less access to adult education; less computer use; and limited involvement in the community.

The authors also explain how Ontario’s LBS programs operate.