More than 1,5 million adults in France are functionally illiterate, but the overseas territories remain far more affected than mainland France. According to the latest territorial data from the National Agency for the Fight Against Illiteracy, nearly one in two adults is affected in French Guiana and Mayotte. In Mayotte, 38% of residents aged 18 to 64 have significant difficulties reading, writing, or arithmetic.
The situation also affects younger generations. In Réunion, 27,2% of participants in the Citizenship and Defense Day tests experienced reading difficulties, compared to 11,5% nationally. This difference is accompanied by a high proportion of adults with little or no formal education: 52,8% on the island, compared to 38,3% in mainland France.
A combination of social and educational difficulties
These disparities stem from several factors, including limited access to education, a lack of school infrastructure in certain areas, poverty, and geographical isolation. Multilingualism is also a significant characteristic: in Mayotte and French Guiana, French coexists with numerous local and regional languages. In French Guiana, although 95% of the population speaks French, only 10% consider it their mother tongue.
Several initiatives are attempting to address this situation. The Ministry of National Education is developing preventative programs starting in schools, while local authorities, France Travail (a French employment service), the Adapted Military Service, and various other organizations offer training for adults. The ANLCI (National Agency for the Fight Against Illiteracy) has also created the Familire program, designed to support young parents in relearning basic skills. Despite these initiatives, significant regional disparities and a lack of recent data in some Pacific territories continue to complicate the assessment and fight against illiteracy.
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