How are students across the OECD performing in science, reading and mathematics?

Results from the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), show that, on average, students across the OECD are performing worse in mathematics, reading, and science when compared with previous assessments, and that the 2025 results in mathematics and reading are the worst ever recorded. PISA is conducted every three years and assesses 15-year-old students’ ability to use their skills and knowledge as they near the end of compulsory education to meet real-world challenges. Each cycle has one major domain, and 2025 focused on science, with reading and mathematics as minor domains. Each cycle also includes an innovative domain; in 2025, it was Learning in the Digital World (LDW). It measures students’ capacity to engage in an iterative process of knowledge building and problem solving using computational tools. PISA 2025 was the largest assessment ever conducted, with 760,000 students participating from 91 countries and partner economies, which include select regions of countries such as Macao, Hong Kong, portions of Ukraine, and the four participating Chinese provinces of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, which are listed as B-S-J-Z (China) in the dataset.

Policymakers use PISA data to make informed decisions on education reforms, diagnose education-system problems, and measure performance over time. Policymakers compare their country’s performance with other countries to identify strengths and weaknesses, and gaps that need to be addressed to improve outcomes.

Across the OECD, students are performing worse in all three domains

Across the 23 OECD countries for which data is available for comparison, reading scores peaked around 2012, while science proficiency has declined gradually since 2009, and mathematics has declined sharply after 2018. In 2025, the average science score across 23 OECD countries was 486 points, down five points from 2022. Average reading scores fell 16 points to 466, while mathematics scores declined 11 points to 469.

Over the longer term, performance also declined across all three subjects. Between 2015 and 2025, average science scores fell modestly, while mathematics scores dropped 22 points—equivalent to just over one year of learning. Reading saw the largest decline, falling 28 points, or about one and a half years of learning.

A summary of the 2025 PISA notes that declining reading performance is particularly concerning because reading skills are essential for finding, evaluating, interpreting, and reflecting on information — critical skills for lifelong learning and especially important when working with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. Based on the latest scores, one in five 15-year-old students across OECD countries is considered a low performer in science, mathematics, and reading, up from 16% in 2022. These students lack the foundational skills needed to succeed in further education, employment, and everyday life.

Wealth is a predictor of educational performance

Socio-economic background remains a powerful predictor of performance. Across OECD countries, advantaged students scored 85 points higher in science, 82 points higher in mathematics, and 75 points higher in reading. The gap narrowed between 2022 and 2025 largely because advantaged students recorded a much larger decline in scores across all three domains, while disadvantaged students' scores remained relatively unchanged from 2022 averages.

Girls outperform boys in science and reading

Girls have scored higher than boys in science and reading since 2018. While the gap in science was just a mere 2 points, the reading scores tell a different story. The average score for girls on the reading test was 481 points compared to 451 points for boys. Between 2015 and 2025, girls outperformed boys by at least 26 points and by as much as 31 points. As for mathematics, boys continue to outperform girls. In 2025, the average mathematics score for boys across OECD countries was 475 points compared with 463 points for girls.

Which countries or economies had the highest PISA scores, and which ones scored the lowest?

Of the 91 participating geographies, the four Chinese provinces of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang scored highest in science and mathematics, and second-highest in reading, behind Singapore. In computational problem solving, B-S-J-Z had the third-highest score. Six of the top ten performers across the three domains are from Asia. Meanwhile, students from Rwanda scored the lowest in all three subjects.

Among members of the OECD, Japan received top scores across all three domains. South Korea was second in reading and mathematics, while Estonia received the second-highest score in science. At the other end of the spectrum is Colombia with the lowest scores across the three subjects.