The drop from 2017 to 2023 is worrying, but my first reaction is to ask if that is only in the US or is it global? I couldn't find 2023 data for other countries, but the 2012-2017 PIAAC literacy data puts USA roughly in line with the rest of the world. I know people dunking on American literacy isn't new, it goes back easily to 2012 or earlier. If the US is illiterate, then so is much of the world.

screenshot for convenience: https://i.imgur.com/IMrCZch.png

data explorer: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/ideuspiaac/report.aspx

That's depressing. For some reason this sub thread seems to think I'm talking about the US from the outside like a punching bag. I singled out the States because I'm more familiar with my country's stats.