Top 10 · education
Top 10 countries by pupil performance
Standardized test performance (PISA countries, NAEP states, linked scale). OECD PISA data, latest year 2022, covering 77 countries.
The top 10
1st of 77 · 2022
Singapore575 score
- 2ndTaiwan547 score
- 3rdJapan536 score
- 4thSouth Korea527 score
- 5thEstonia510 score
- 6thSwitzerland508 score
- 7thCanada497 score
- 8thNetherlands493 score
- 9thIreland492 score
- 10thBelgium490 score
The other end · bottom 5 of 77
- 73rdGuatemala344 score
- 74thEl Salvador344 score
- 75thDominican Republic339 score
- 76thParaguay338 score
- 77thCambodia336 score
Where the big countries land
- 32ndUnited States465 score
- 23rdGermany475 score
- 62ndBrazil379 score
Common questions
Questions people ask about pupil performance
Which country ranks highest for pupil performance?
Singapore ranks 1st of 77 countries at 575 score (2022 data). Source: OECD PISA.
Which countries are in the top 10 for pupil performance?
The top 10 are Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Estonia, Switzerland, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium — computed from OECD PISA data, latest year 2022.
Where does the United States rank in pupil performance?
The United States ranks 32nd of 77 countries at 465 score (2022 data). Source: OECD PISA.
What is the median pupil performance worldwide?
Across the 77 countries covered, the median is 441 score. Values run from 575 score (Singapore, ranked 1st) to 336 score (Cambodia, ranked 77th).
Is pupil performance higher in Europe or the US?
The median across 37 European countries is 473 score, against 465 score in the United States — it is higher in Europe. Source: OECD PISA.
Which country ranks lowest for pupil performance?
Cambodia sits at the other end of the list: 336 score ranks 77th of 77 (2022 data). Source: OECD PISA.
Keep ranking
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- Adult numeracyHow well working-age adults handle numbers and mathematical ideas.
- Adults with weak literacyShare of adults at PIAAC literacy Level 1 or below — they can read short, simple texts but little more.
- Adults with weak numeracyShare of adults at PIAAC numeracy Level 1 or below — they manage single-step arithmetic but little more.
- Nobel laureatesNobel laureates by place of birth, per million current residents.
Who leads the world
- Monacotops life expectancy86.5 years
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- Bulgariatops paid maternity leave59 weeks
Singapore leads on pupil performance — see where it lands on every other measure, and which US state it most resembles.
From the blog: Pinned snapshots: when we deliberately don't auto-refresh
All 68 measures →Every country ranked →Every US state →All the Top 10s →The overall board →How we read the data →