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

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.

Mathematics, reading, science, Combined PISA 2025 averages, evidence status, and normalized WhereNext education scores
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. 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

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.

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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