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OECD · PISA Mathematics Performance
PISA mathematics scores by country
How well can 15-year-olds use mathematics?
Singapore placed first of the 79 countries compared in 2022, at 574.66, and Cambodia last, at 336.40. In the middle country the figure was 442.09. Among the 33 countries measured in every edition since 2003, the middle one moved from 502.99 to 479.07.
Part ofEducation & Knowledge
PISA mathematics scores · 2022
Context statistic
Highest of 79Singapore
574.66012022 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 79 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
2Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: xiangyang17 · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2022
- 79
Cambodia336.40 - 78
Paraguay337.54 - 77
Dominican Republic339.11
Positions out of 79. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
PISA mathematics scores on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 336.40–377.53
- 378.69–417.30
- 418.31–468.45
- 469.40–487.27
- 488.96–574.66
- No reading in 2022
- Europe
473.14
the middle country, of 35 measured · 49 members
Estonia509.95
Kosovo354.96Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
424.59
the middle country, of 25 measured · 52 members
Singapore574.66Cambodia336.40Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
380.69
the middle country, of 16 measured · 48 members
Canada496.95Paraguay337.54Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
1 of 55 measured — too few for a middle: Morocco.
Morocco364.77Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
2 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia487.08
New Zealand479.07Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
14 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Eastern Asia
537.97
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Macau551.92
Mongolia424.59Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Western Europe
488.38
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Switzerland507.99
France473.94Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
483.65
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Estonia509.95
Iceland458.90Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
463.99
the middle country, of 7 measured · 10 members
Poland488.96
Moldova414.20Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Europe
451.49
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Slovenia484.53Kosovo354.96Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
414.11
the middle country, of 9 measured · 19 members
Israel457.90
Jordan361.23Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
401.32
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Singapore574.66Cambodia336.40Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- South America
382.70
the middle country, of 7 measured · 12 members
Chile411.70Paraguay337.54Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
356.57
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
Mexico395.03
El Salvador343.47Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia487.08New Zealand479.07Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Caribbean
2 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Dominican Republic, Jamaica.
Jamaica377.42Dominican Republic339.11Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Central Asia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan425.44
Uzbekistan363.94Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Northern Africa
1 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Morocco.
Morocco364.77Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada496.95
United States464.89Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
79 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 442.09; a quarter are above 483.65, and a quarter below 388.68. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 79 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. OECD ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. PISA is an assessment countries opt into, so the 79 economies in 2022 are the ceiling rather than a sample of the world — read this as a comparison among participants, not a world ranking. Some entries are not sovereign states: Hong Kong, Macao, Chinese Taipei, Kosovo and the Palestinian Authority are reported by the OECD and kept here.
Showing 25 of 79 countries
Values for 2022. The change column compares 2022 with 2018 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052003–2022 · 7 editions
Over time
Each point is one PISA cycle, roughly three years apart — the 2021 round slipped to 2022 because of the pandemic. The scale is designed to stay comparable between cycles, so a real gain or loss shows here.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 33 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 79 | 442.09 | 388.68 – 483.65 | 479.07 |
| 2018 | 72 | 458.27 | 407.18 – 500.27 | 496.13 |
| 2015 | 61 | 478.64 | 417.99 – 504.47 | 493.90 |
| 2012 | 59 | 481.64 | 429.27 – 504.85 | 494.98 |
| 2009 | 61 | 482.91 | 418.51 – 506.67 | 496.68 |
| 2006 | 51 | 490.94 | 425.37 – 513.80 | 501.47 |
| 2003 | 35 | 502.99 | 474.45 – 525.41 | 502.99 |
062018 → 2022
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Taiwan531.14 → 547.09 · 4th → 3rd+15.95
Saudi Arabia373.24 → 388.78 · 64th → 59th+15.54- Dominican Republic325.10 → 339.11 · 71st → 77th+14.01
Brunei430.11 → 442.09 · 45th → 40th+11.98- Cambodia324.69 → 336.40 · 72nd → 79th+11.71
72 countries were measured in both 2018 and 2022. The field changed from 72 to 79 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
PISA mathematics scores in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
574.66
Mean mathematics score
Lowest reading on record
317.96
Mean mathematics score
Biggest improvement between editions
+50.16
317.96 → 368.11
Biggest decline between editions
−69.00
437.22 → 368.22
Most improved since first measured
+96.15
317.96 → 414.11
At the top most often
5 of 7
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About PISA mathematics scores
PISA Mathematics is the mean score 15-year-olds achieve on the OECD’s mathematics scale, which is centred near 500 across OECD countries. Run in seven cycles since 2003, it is the most-quoted international comparison of what school actually teaches.
What the number is: Mean mathematics score.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Education & Knowledge, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where PISA mathematics scores is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where PISA mathematics scores is higher, these tend to be lower.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 0 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
11Questions
PISA mathematics scores: questions and answers
Which country has the highest PISA mathematics scores?
Singapore, at 574.66, among the 79 countries compared in 2022.
Which country has the lowest PISA mathematics scores?
Cambodia, at 336.40, among the 79 countries compared in 2022.
How many countries does the PISA Mathematics Performance cover?
79 in 2022. The number measured varies from 35 to 79 between editions.
What is the world average PISA mathematics scores?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 79 compared in 2022, the figure was 442.09.
Is this OECD’s own ranking?
No. OECD publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the PISA Mathematics Performance published?
This site holds 7 editions, describing 2003 to 2022.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From OECD, under OECD Terms and Conditions — Data clause. From the OECD’s published PISA results tables. Sub-national samples the OECD reports separately — Baku and 18 of Ukraine’s 27 regions — are excluded because they cannot be keyed to a country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
PISA Mathematics Performance — OECD
From the OECD’s published PISA results tables. Sub-national samples the OECD reports separately — Baku and 18 of Ukraine’s 27 regions — are excluded because they cannot be keyed to a country.
Newest edition
Report year 2022Data year 2022
Cite the source as: OECD. PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education. Paris: OECD Publishing. This is an adaptation of an original work by the OECD.
Licence: OECD Terms and Conditions — Data clause, checked 2026-09-05.
How this page reads the numbers
- OECD ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
- Macau — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Taiwan — xiangyang17, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). PISA mathematics scores by country: PISA Mathematics Performance, data from OECD. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/pisa-mathematics