Which country has the best education system per PISA 2025?
Singapore has the highest measured combined PISA 2025 average in the WhereNext tracked set at 553. Estimated rows are excluded from this claim.
WhereNext Open Data
Best education systems 2026: PISA 2025 evidence
A subject-level reference for mathematics, reading, science, and a derived combined average, with OECD measurements kept visibly separate from WhereNext estimates for non-participating systems.
PISA 202595 tracked systemsCC BY 4.0
Freshness: PISA 2025 · released 2026-09-08 · verified 2026-09-08 · quadrennial publication · OECD coverage 91 systems.
Quick answer
Quick answer
The highest measured combined PISA 2025 averages in the tracked set are Singapore (553), Taiwan (531), Japan (522), South Korea (516), and Estonia (511). Of 95 rows, 74 are OECD-measured and 21 are WhereNext estimates, which are excluded from that top-systems claim. PISA 2029 is the next assessment cycle, so PISA 2025 stays the latest available results until the OECD publishes it.
Key facts
- Singapore 553 Highest measured combined PISA 2025 average in the tracked set.
- Taiwan 531 Second-highest measured combined average.
- Japan 522 Third-highest measured combined average.
- 74 measured rows Within WhereNext's 95-system tracked set; OECD reports 91 participating systems overall.
- 21 estimated rows Visibly flagged and excluded from every measured top-system claim.
Evidence table
PISA subject scores by country and system
OECD PISA 2025, released September 8, 2026 and verified by WhereNext September 8, 2026. Mathematics, reading, and science are measured values from OECD Annex B1; Combined is their rounded average. Rows are sorted by Combined; estimated rows remain visible for comparison but do not qualify for measured leaders.
| Country / system | Math | Reading | Science | Combined | Evidence status | Normalized education score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SingaporeSG | 563 | 535 | 560 | 553 | Measured | 100/100 |
| TaiwanTW | 546 | 508 | 540 | 531 | Measured | 100/100 |
| JapanJP | 525 | 503 | 538 | 522 | Measured | 100/100 |
| South KoreaKR | 522 | 501 | 526 | 516 | Measured | 100/100 |
| EstoniaEE | 508 | 499 | 527 | 511 | Measured | 100/100 |
| Hong KongHK | 522 | 480 | 496 | 499 | Measured | 93/100 |
| United KingdomGB | 488 | 494 | 511 | 498 | Measured | 93/100 |
| CanadaCA | 485 | 490 | 510 | 495 | Measured | 91/100 |
| New ZealandNZ | 480 | 497 | 509 | 495 | Measured | 91/100 |
| AustraliaAU | 478 | 491 | 509 | 493 | Measured | 90/100 |
| IrelandIE | 480 | 500 | 500 | 493 | Measured | 90/100 |
| SwitzerlandCH | 499 | 470 | 501 | 490 | Measured | 88/100 |
| PolandPL | 484 | 482 | 495 | 487 | Measured | 87/100 |
| ChinaCN | — | — | — | 485 | Estimated | 85/100 |
| United StatesUS | 463 | 490 | 502 | 485 | Measured | 85/100 |
| FinlandFI | 469 | 474 | 504 | 482 | Measured | 84/100 |
| AustriaAT | 477 | 467 | 497 | 480 | Measured | 82/100 |
| BelgiumBE | 480 | 466 | 490 | 479 | Measured | 82/100 |
| CzechiaCZ | 477 | 468 | 490 | 478 | Measured | 82/100 |
| TurkeyTR | 462 | 472 | 494 | 476 | Measured | 81/100 |
| ItalyIT | 468 | 474 | 483 | 475 | Measured | 81/100 |
| LithuaniaLT | 470 | 464 | 488 | 474 | Measured | 79/100 |
| GermanyDE | 464 | 465 | 486 | 472 | Measured | 79/100 |
| SwedenSE | 464 | 466 | 485 | 472 | Measured | 79/100 |
| DenmarkDK | 471 | 460 | 478 | 470 | Measured | 78/100 |
| NetherlandsNL | 483 | 441 | 485 | 470 | Measured | 78/100 |
| PortugalPT | 460 | 462 | 482 | 468 | Measured | 76/100 |
| FranceFR | 458 | 456 | 483 | 466 | Measured | 75/100 |
| HungaryHU | 459 | 452 | 480 | 464 | Measured | 75/100 |
| SlovakiaSK | 469 | 448 | 475 | 464 | Measured | 75/100 |
| SloveniaSI | 460 | 445 | 484 | 463 | Measured | 74/100 |
| SpainES | 457 | 451 | 477 | 462 | Measured | 74/100 |
| CroatiaHR | 455 | 453 | 476 | 461 | Measured | 74/100 |
| LuxembourgLU | 458 | 443 | 474 | 458 | Measured | 71/100 |
| NorwayNO | 452 | 453 | 470 | 458 | Measured | 71/100 |
| LatviaLV | 460 | 430 | 468 | 453 | Measured | 69/100 |
| United Arab EmiratesAE | 453 | 433 | 458 | 448 | Measured | 66/100 |
| IcelandIS | 450 | 422 | 441 | 438 | Measured | 60/100 |
| IsraelIL | 433 | 436 | 442 | 437 | Measured | 60/100 |
| MaltaMT | 439 | 415 | 453 | 436 | Measured | 59/100 |
| VietnamVN | 443 | 392 | 457 | 431 | Measured | 57/100 |
| ChileCL | 403 | 436 | 442 | 427 | Measured | 54/100 |
| GreeceGR | 424 | 423 | 434 | 427 | Measured | 54/100 |
| AlbaniaAL | 433 | 408 | 435 | 425 | Measured | 53/100 |
| UruguayUY | 405 | 423 | 445 | 424 | Measured | 53/100 |
| QatarQA | 416 | 418 | 434 | 423 | Measured | 53/100 |
| MontenegroME | 411 | 418 | 435 | 421 | Measured | 51/100 |
| SerbiaRS | 417 | 415 | 429 | 420 | Measured | 51/100 |
| RomaniaRO | 419 | 413 | 425 | 419 | Measured | 50/100 |
| MauritiusMU | 407 | 405 | 438 | 417 | Measured | 50/100 |
| MoldovaMD | 410 | 404 | 422 | 412 | Measured | 47/100 |
| ThailandTH | 407 | 392 | 432 | 410 | Measured | 46/100 |
| Costa RicaCR | 387 | 416 | 424 | 409 | Measured | 46/100 |
| GeorgiaGE | 416 | 384 | 422 | 407 | Measured | 44/100 |
| MongoliaMN | 419 | 374 | 424 | 406 | Measured | 44/100 |
| BulgariaBG | 405 | 387 | 421 | 404 | Measured | 43/100 |
| MalaysiaMY | 397 | 393 | 419 | 403 | Measured | 41/100 |
| MexicoMX | 388 | 408 | 414 | 403 | Measured | 41/100 |
| CyprusCY | 412 | 379 | 411 | 401 | Measured | 41/100 |
| BahrainBH | — | — | — | 399 | Estimated | 40/100 |
| BrazilBR | 377 | 408 | 409 | 398 | Measured | 40/100 |
| ColombiaCO | 381 | 399 | 414 | 398 | Measured | 40/100 |
| JamaicaJM | — | — | — | 397 | Estimated | 38/100 |
| Saudi ArabiaSA | 390 | 387 | 413 | 397 | Measured | 38/100 |
| PeruPE | 382 | 390 | 406 | 393 | Measured | 37/100 |
| KuwaitKW | — | — | — | 388 | Estimated | 34/100 |
| JordanJO | 388 | 363 | 407 | 386 | Measured | 32/100 |
| ArgentinaAR | 367 | 389 | 393 | 383 | Measured | 31/100 |
| OmanOM | — | — | — | 382 | Estimated | 31/100 |
| South AfricaZA | — | — | — | 382 | Estimated | 31/100 |
| Trinidad and TobagoTT | — | — | — | 382 | Estimated | 31/100 |
| EcuadorEC | 366 | 385 | 393 | 381 | Measured | 29/100 |
| PanamaPA | — | — | — | 379 | Estimated | 29/100 |
| IndonesiaID | 364 | 365 | 389 | 373 | Measured | 26/100 |
| North MacedoniaMK | 380 | 357 | 378 | 372 | Measured | 25/100 |
| PhilippinesPH | 371 | 367 | 373 | 370 | Measured | 24/100 |
| IndiaIN | — | — | — | 368 | Estimated | 24/100 |
| Bosnia and HerzegovinaBA | — | — | — | 366 | Estimated | 22/100 |
| CambodiaKH | 366 | 347 | 382 | 365 | Measured | 22/100 |
| FijiFJ | — | — | — | 365 | Estimated | 22/100 |
| Sri LankaLK | — | — | — | 360 | Estimated | 19/100 |
| TunisiaTN | — | — | — | 358 | Estimated | 18/100 |
| Dominican RepublicDO | 339 | 346 | 361 | 349 | Measured | 13/100 |
| EgyptEG | — | — | — | 348 | Estimated | 12/100 |
| MoroccoMA | 355 | 321 | 358 | 345 | Measured | 10/100 |
| GuatemalaGT | 334 | 337 | 351 | 341 | Measured | 9/100 |
| GhanaGH | — | — | — | 340 | Estimated | 9/100 |
| NigeriaNG | — | — | — | 335 | Estimated | 6/100 |
| NepalNP | — | — | — | 330 | Estimated | 3/100 |
| KenyaKE | 326 | 320 | 335 | 327 | Measured | 1/100 |
| BangladeshBD | — | — | — | 325 | Estimated | 0/100 |
| LaosLA | — | — | — | 325 | Estimated | 0/100 |
| MyanmarMM | — | — | — | 320 | Estimated | 0/100 |
| Papua New GuineaPG | — | — | — | 310 | Estimated | 0/100 |
| RwandaRW | 312 | 301 | 317 | 310 | Measured | 0/100 |
Provenance
Methodology and evidence status
Subject-level measurements. Measured values come from OECD PISA 2025 Annex B1 Tables I.B1.2a.3 (mathematics), I.B1.2a.2 (reading), and I.B1.2a.1 (science), as published in PISA 2025 Results (Volume I) Table I.1. Combined is the rounded three-subject average.
Measured versus estimated. A measured row is a system on the OECD PISA 2025 participant roster. An estimated row is a retained WhereNext value for a country or system that did not participate in PISA 2025 and is never an OECD PISA 2025 measurement. Estimated rows stay in the comparison for coverage, carry a visible label, and are excluded from all top-system claims. Registry note: Participant subject scores verified against OECD PISA 2025 Results (Volume I) Table I.1, which reports Annex B1 Tables I.B1.2a.1 (science), I.B1.2a.2 (reading), and I.B1.2a.3 (mathematics), and cross-checked against Skolverket's Swedish national PISA 2025 report (fixture: __fixtures__/pisa-2025-table-i1.json). Non-measured values cover 21 WhereNext countries absent from PISA 2025; Panama and Jamaica carry their PISA 2022 combined averages. PISA 2029 is the next assessment cycle, so PISA 2025 stays the latest available results until the OECD publishes it.
Normalized education score. The final column uses the same scoring path as the best-education ranking: each country target is built with the combined PISA value and normalized across the full tracked set by the WhereNext scoring engine. It is a relative WhereNext display score, not another OECD metric. The current ranked seed path does not add EF EPI or enrollment fields to education, so this table does not imply those sources are inputs.
Coverage and cadence. OECD lists 91 participating systems for the PISA 2025 edition. WhereNext tracks 95 country/system rows: 74 measured and 21 estimated. PISA publication is quadrennial; the next release fact shown above comes directly from the freshness registry.
PISA measures performance among participating 15-year-old students; it is not a complete assessment of access, equity, school fit, or an education recommendation.
Direct answers
PISA 2025 FAQ
How many tracked countries and systems have measured PISA values?
74 tracked rows are marked measured and 21 are marked estimated. The estimated rows are WhereNext values for non-participating systems, not OECD PISA 2025 measurements.
Which system led PISA 2025 in mathematics, reading, and science?
Singapore leads mathematics at 563; Singapore leads reading at 535; and Singapore leads science at 560. These measured-row claims exclude estimates.
When will PISA 2029 results be released?
PISA 2029 is the next assessment cycle, so PISA 2025 stays the latest available results until the OECD publishes it.
How does Japan compare with Singapore in PISA 2025?
Japan has a measured combined average of 522, compared with Singapore at 553, a difference of 31 points in this dataset.
Cite and reuse
WhereNext. "Best Education Systems 2026 — PISA 2025 Evidence." OECD PISA 2025 mathematics, reading, science, and derived combined average; verified 2026-09-08. getwherenext.com/data/best-education-systems-2026.
WhereNext-authored presentation and normalization are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Underlying OECD data retains its source terms.
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