This dataset presents internationally comparable data on participation in adult learning activities (formal and non-formal education and training).

When interpreting the results and the differences between groups a special attention should be given to the standard errors and the confidence interval.

The statistical estimates presented in this table are based on samples of adults, rather than values that could be calculated if every person in the target population in every country had answered every question. Therefore, each estimate has a degree of uncertainty associated with sampling and measurement error, which can be expressed as a standard error. The use of confidence intervals provides a way to make inferences about the population means and proportions in a manner that reflects the uncertainty associated with the sample estimates. In this table, there is one column with the heading “Value”, which indicates the average percentage or mean, and a column with the heading “SE”, which indicates the standard error. Given the survey method, there is a sampling uncertainty in the percentages or means of twice the standard error. For example, for the values: % = 10 and S.E. = 2.6, 10% has an uncertainty zone of twice (1.96) the standard error of 2.6, assuming an error risk of 5%. Thus, the true percentage would probably (error risk of 5%) be somewhere between 5% and 15% (“confidence interval”). The confidence interval is calculated as: % +/– 1.96 * S.E., i.e. for the previous example, 5% = 10% – 1.96 * 2.6 and 15% = 10% + 1.96 * 2.6.