It is. Part of the problem with literacy rates is there isn’t necessarily a set standard that every country uses to evaluate. Illiterate doesn’t mean can’t read/write, it generally means cannot read/write to X grade level or level of competency.This can't be right?
So in Canada, 17% struggle with the lowest level of literacy assessed but nearly half struggle to read at a ‘high school level’ (which is a meaningless term since high school starts anywhere between grades 8-10 depending on district). At the lowest level, many people can still technically read but would struggle to understand something as simple as the dosage label on a medication.
‘Half of Americans can’t read’ really means half would not pass a proficiency test set to a grade 8 reading level.