Countries by PISA Math Scores: Latest Ranking

Overview: what the PISA math ranking measures

PISA mathematics performance measures how well 15-year-old students can use mathematical knowledge and reasoning to solve real-world problems. It is not a national school-leaving exam, a curriculum test for one grade or a ranking of universities.

The table ranks countries and economies by their mean mathematics score. Scores are reported on the PISA scale in points. Because PISA is a sample-based assessment, small differences between nearby rows should be read carefully, especially when rounded scores are equal or close.

The ranking follows the OECD reporting structure. It includes entries such as Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), Chinese Taipei, Baku (Azerbaijan) and Ukrainian regions covered by the assessment, so it is better understood as a countries-and-economies ranking than as a sovereign-country-only list.

Top 10 PISA math scores

The upper end of the ranking is led by Asian education systems, followed by high-performing OECD members in Europe and North America. Singapore is 23 points above Macao (China), while the top six entries all score above 527 points.

Top 10 countries and economies by PISA mathematics score

Bands are OECD statistical comparison bands against the OECD average of 472 points. Caution flags indicate that OECD advises extra care when interpreting the estimate.

Methodology

The ranking uses PISA 2022 mathematics results for 15-year-old students. Scores are measured in PISA points, and rows are sorted from higher score to lower score.

PISA scores summarize one assessed outcome: mathematics performance among 15-year-old students. They do not measure the entire education system, curriculum breadth, university readiness, adult skills, school funding, student well-being or workforce strength.

Differences between countries can reflect curriculum emphasis, equity in learning opportunities, socioeconomic gaps, language and migration patterns, learning disruption, school system structure and sampling context. The table shows outcomes and should be read alongside that wider context.

For entries with caution flags, OECD advises extra care because one or more sampling standards or data-quality conditions require attention. The ranking keeps the published score but signals the interpretation risk in the note column.

Main ranking: Top 81 countries and economies by PISA math score

Use the controls to search by country or education system, filter by OECD statistical band, change sort order or switch between Top 10, Top 20 and all 81 rows.

Top 81 PISA mathematics scores, OECD PISA 2022

Values are rounded PISA score points. Ranks are based on the mathematics mean score, descending. Equal rounded scores should be read as ties in practical terms unless OECD statistical testing shows a difference.

Insights from the PISA math ranking

What this ranking means for readers

This ranking helps compare mathematics performance among 15-year-old students across participating education systems. It is useful for seeing broad performance levels, but it should not be treated as a full judgment on every part of an education system.

A high PISA math score does not mean that every student performs strongly. National averages can hide gaps by income, region, school type, gender, language background, immigrant background and access to learning support.

Score differences should be read with statistical uncertainty in mind. A large gap, such as Singapore’s lead over the OECD average, is easier to interpret than small differences between neighboring rows or entries with the same rounded score.

The ranking also mixes countries, economies and selected subnational systems because PISA reports them that way. That makes the table faithful to OECD reporting, but it should not be mistaken for a sovereign-country-only education ranking.

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