12% of youth in France have trouble reading, 30% overseas; English is the language of communication 34% of the time for human and social sciences

In case you've ever wondered whether overseas French territories have more trouble with French than those living in France itself, this article may shed some light. According to that, 12% of youths in France have reading difficulties whereas this number climbs to 30% in the overseas territories. Whether this is due to a lower economic standard or simple geographic/linguistic distance is unsure.

It also has some interesting numbers on the role of English in science - English is the language of communication 70% of the time in exact and natural sciences, but falls to 34% for human and social sciences. Also, one in three researchers (29%) admits to having troubles in producing thoughts in foreign languages, and almost one in two (42%) is limited in English.