OECD · PISA Science Performance
PISA science scores by country
How well can 15-year-olds use scientific knowledge?
Singapore placed first of the 79 countries compared in 2022, at 561.43, and Cambodia last, at 347.10. In the middle country the figure was 446.93. Among the 46 countries measured in every edition since 2006, the middle one moved from 494.21 to 487.77.
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Part ofEducation & Knowledge
PISA science scores · 2022
Context statistic
Highest of 79Singapore
561.43012022 · 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: JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2022
- 79
Cambodia347.10 - 78
Uzbekistan354.86 - 77
Philippines356.17
Positions out of 79. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
PISA science 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.
- 347.10–387.77
- 390.39–423.17
- 427.51–478.23
- 482.67–499.41
- 499.67–561.43
- No reading in 2022
- Europe
484.53
the middle country, of 35 measured · 49 members
Estonia525.81
Kosovo357.02Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
423.17
the middle country, of 25 measured · 52 members
Singapore561.43Cambodia347.10Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
406.98
the middle country, of 16 measured · 48 members
Canada515.02
Dominican Republic360.43Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Africa
1 of 55 measured — too few for a middle: Morocco.
Morocco365.40Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
2 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia507.00
New Zealand504.13Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
14 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Eastern Asia
532.60
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
Japan546.63
Mongolia412.38Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Northern Europe
493.83
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Estonia525.81
Iceland446.93Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
490.92
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Switzerland502.52
France487.23Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Eastern Europe
462.27
the middle country, of 7 measured · 10 members
Poland499.16
Moldova416.86Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Europe
456.52
the middle country, of 12 measured · 17 members
Slovenia499.96Kosovo357.02Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
412.79
the middle country, of 8 measured · 11 members
Singapore561.43Cambodia347.10Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Asia
410.90
the middle country, of 9 measured · 19 members
Türkiye475.94
Palestine368.82Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- South America
407.78
the middle country, of 7 measured · 12 members
Chile443.54
Paraguay368.33Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Central America
387.77
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica410.99
Guatemala372.96Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia507.00New Zealand504.13Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Caribbean
2 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Dominican Republic, Jamaica.
Jamaica402.93Dominican Republic360.43Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Central Asia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan423.17Uzbekistan354.86Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Northern Africa
1 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Morocco.
Morocco365.40Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada515.02
United States499.41Highest 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 446.93; a quarter are above 493.68, and a quarter below 404.66. 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.
052006–2022 · 6 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 46 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 | 446.93 | 404.66 – 493.68 | 487.77 |
| 2018 | 71 | 462.20 | 415.40 – 499.11 | 492.16 |
| 2015 | 60 | 478.65 | 427.80 – 506.27 | 494.20 |
| 2012 | 58 | 493.92 | 440.08 – 515.55 | 496.55 |
| 2009 | 60 | 490.84 | 426.73 – 511.24 | 498.78 |
| 2006 | 50 | 492.00 | 436.27 – 514.30 | 494.21 |
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- Kazakhstan397.10 → 423.17 · 60th → 48th+26.06
- Dominican Republic335.63 → 360.43 · 70th → 75th+24.80
Panama364.62 → 387.77 · 67th → 64th+23.14
Taiwan515.75 → 537.38 · 9th → 4th+21.63- Japan529.14 → 546.63 · 4th → 2nd+17.50
Declined most
before → after
Albania416.73 → 375.97 · 52nd → 68th−40.76
North Macedonia413.04 → 379.88 · 56th → 67th−33.17
Cyprus439.01 → 410.90 · 41st → 55th−28.11- Iceland475.02 → 446.93 · 31st → 40th−28.10
Malaysia437.62 → 416.31 · 42nd → 51st−21.31
71 countries were measured in both 2018 and 2022. The field changed from 71 to 79 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
PISA science scores in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
563.32
Mean science score
Lowest reading on record
330.27
Mean science score
Biggest improvement between editions
+42.81
425.49 → 468.30
Biggest decline between editions
−40.76
416.73 → 375.97
Most improved since first measured
+83.09
349.31 → 432.40
At the top most often
3 of 6
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About PISA science scores
PISA Science is the mean score 15-year-olds achieve on the OECD’s science scale, centred near 500 across OECD countries. It has run in six cycles since 2006, alongside the reading and mathematics assessments.
What the number is: Mean science 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 science scores is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where PISA science 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
The countries at either end
More from OECD
11Questions
PISA science scores: questions and answers
Which country has the highest PISA science scores?
Singapore, at 561.43, among the 79 countries compared in 2022.
Which country has the lowest PISA science scores?
Cambodia, at 347.10, among the 79 countries compared in 2022.
How many countries does the PISA Science Performance cover?
79 in 2022. The number measured varies from 50 to 79 between editions.
What is the world average PISA science 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 446.93.
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 Science Performance published?
This site holds 6 editions, describing 2006 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 Science 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
- Japan — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Macau — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). PISA science scores by country: PISA Science Performance, data from OECD. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/pisa-science