Rodríguez Fernández, Francisco

This paper proposes a multidimensional typology of disadvantage–cognitive, structural, and situational–to better understand disparities in adolescent financial literacy. Using data from the OECD-PISA 2022 Financial Literacy module (N = 97,983 students across 20 countries), we construct standardized indices to capture each disadvantage type and estimate their effects through weighted regressions and machine learning. Our results show that students with cognitive disadvantage scores, on average, 58 points lower in financial literacy; those facing all three disadvantages score up to 92 points lower. We find that school-based financial education can mitigate the effect of situational disadvantage by up to 30 points. The study contributes a novel framework to capture the layered nature of inequality in financial capability and offers clear guidance for targeted policy interventions.