Giving Informal Learning the Recognition it Deserves

Executive summary

Why informal learning matters

Lifelong learning allows individuals to develop, maintain, and adapt their skills in response to changing personal, labour market, and societal needs. While policy has traditionally focussed on formal and non-formal education and training, much learning occurs informally – through work, daily life, social interaction, and self-directed experience – across all stages of life. Informal learning is flexible and responsive, complementing formal and non-formal education and training by reinforcing and expanding skills.

Rapid technological change, digitalisation, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) have heightened the value of informal learning. It provides accessible pathways for upskilling and reskilling, especially for those facing barriers to traditional learning, such as employees in small and medium-sized enterprises or disengaged learners. Yet, despite growing recognition, informal learning remains unevenly reflected in policy, strategic planning, and measurement systems.

Enhancing the understanding and measurement of informal learning: Towards a comprehensive, shared definition

Supported by the governments of Belgium (Flanders), Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, this project offers an international comparative review of informal learning. Drawing on expert input and an extensive review of literature and data, it aims to raise the profile of informal learning and improve its recognition. There is a particular emphasis on developing a shared, comprehensive definition that captures the diverse forms of informal learning and on their effective measurement. A clear definition and consistent measurement framework are critical for identifying who is learning, where it occurs, and how it contributes to lifelong skill development. Establishing a common definition and measurement framework would strengthen evidence for targeted policies at the national level while enabling cross-country comparability, knowledge sharing, and better integration of informal learning into international frameworks.

In addition to an in-depth assessment of informal learning, the study proposes ten actionable recommendations to guide policymakers, national statistical offices, international organisations, and researchers. Together, these recommendations provide a coherent framework to improve conceptual clarity, measurement accuracy, and cross-country comparability. They ensure informal learning is consistently recognised alongside formal and non-formal education and training, supporting evidence‑based policy, targeted interventions, and rigorous evaluation. By generating a robust evidence base, the project positions informal learning as a recognised priority within lifelong learning and skills systems.

Benefits, participation, drivers, and policy approaches

Informal learning provides substantial benefits across individuals, organisations, education systems, and society. For individuals, it strengthens lifelong learning attitudes, job-specific and transferable skills, and career progression, while supporting access for disadvantaged groups. Organisations gain productivity, adaptability, and innovation, and education systems benefit from enhanced learning that bridges theory and practice. Society as a whole gains through social cohesion, civic engagement, and economic resilience.

Participation in informal learning varies widely across countries, age groups, and socio‑economic backgrounds, with digital, print-based, and workplace learning being the most common forms. Engagement is higher among younger, educated, employed, and urban populations and complements formal and non-formal education and training. Key drivers include individual motivation and socio‑emotional traits, job design and role complexity, organisational culture and leadership, social networks, and national-level factors such as labour markets and infrastructure. Governments can foster informal learning by integrating it into lifelong learning systems, promoting learning-conducive workplaces, and expanding access to digital, community, and library-based resources.

Strengthening the definition of informal learning

A clear and shared definition of informal learning is an essential starting point for recognising its role in education and skills systems. It enhances the visibility of informal learning, supports its consideration in policy design, and enables consistent measurement across countries.

To harmonise conceptual definitions and embed these into education and lifelong learning systems, the OECD recommends to: i) agree on a shared conceptual definition of informal learning; and ii) promote the widescale adoption of the definition within legal and policy frameworks. To promote more consistent operationalisation of definitions, the OECD recommends to: i) develop a simple, structured framework for categorising different types of informal learning; and ii) promote greater transparency in operational definitions, situating these within the wider typology of informal learning.

Enhancing the measurement of informal learning

Understanding how informal learning is measured is essential for accurately assessing adult learning and education policies. Measurement approaches can vary significantly across countries and surveys, and these differences can significantly affect reported participation rates and their interpretation. As a result, they have important implication for international comparisons and the formulation of evidence‑based policy.

To strengthen international survey instruments, the OECD recommends to: i) preserve and extend the measures of informal learning included in international survey instruments; and ii) promote greater consistency in the implementation of international surveys at the national level. To complement international instruments with national measures, the OECD recommends to: i) include measures of informal learning in national survey instruments; and ii) establish an international Informal Learning Expert Working Group to bring together statisticians and researchers to exchange knowledge, promote consistent measurement approaches, and support the uptake of tools and methodologies across countries. Finally, to promote ongoing innovation in the definition and measurement of informal learning, the OECD recommends to: i) identify informal learning measurement as an explicit research priority; and ii) regularly review and update.