Countries with the Best Education
If you're relocating with children — or value educational quality — this ranking is essential. We score 95 countries on the OECD PISA 2025 results: the combined mean of mathematics, reading and science mapped to 0–100 and normalized across the ranking (the top group shares a capped score). Countries that did not sit PISA 2025 carry an estimated mean and are marked. The subject scores behind the top 10 are shown on this page.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
Filter the full education ranking by region, persona, or budget at https://getwherenext.com/find — live 2026 World Bank + UNDP + IEP data.
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Key facts
- #1: Singapore score 100/100 on this dimension across 95 countries.
- #2: Taiwan score 100/100 — close runner-up.
- $1,550/mo cheapest single-person cost in the top 10 (Taiwan).
- 95 countries ranked using public-domain institutional datasets (last updated 2026-10-01).
- Top 20 visible full table below with sub-scores and confidence rating per country.
Retirement readiness — Singapore vs Taiwan vs Japan
Seven dimensions scored 0-10 from primary-source data. Composite = weighted mean (visa 20% · healthcare 20% · tax 15% · safety 15% · climate 10% · language 10% · cost 10%).
Updated · WhereNext corridor registry (visa pathway + claim confidence) · WHO 2024 UHC service-coverage index + JCI accreditation directory · US Treasury bilateral income-tax treaties index · IEP Global Peace Index 2025 · Köppen-Geiger climate classification + WHO air-quality database · EF English Proficiency Index 2025 · Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2026-Q1
- Visa ease(?)🇸🇬Singapore4.0🇹🇼Taiwan7.0🇯🇵Japan6.0
- Healthcare access(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇹🇼Taiwan9.0🇯🇵Japan9.0
- Tax complexity(?)🇸🇬Singapore8.0🇹🇼Taiwan7.0🇯🇵Japan5.0
- Safety(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇹🇼Taiwan8.0🇯🇵Japan9.0
- Climate(?)🇸🇬Singapore6.0🇹🇼Taiwan6.0🇯🇵Japan7.0
- Language(?)🇸🇬Singapore9.0🇹🇼Taiwan5.0🇯🇵Japan4.0
- Cost of living(?)🇸🇬Singapore2.0🇹🇼Taiwan7.0🇯🇵Japan6.0
Composite (weighted mean)
🇸🇬Singapore6.9🇹🇼Taiwan7.3🇯🇵Japan6.8
| Dimension | Weight | Singapore | Taiwan | Japan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa ease | 20% | 4.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | WhereNext corridor registry (visa pathway + claim confidence) |
| Healthcare access | 20% | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | WHO 2024 UHC service-coverage index + JCI accreditation directory |
| Tax complexity | 15% | 8.0 | 7.0 | 5.0 | US Treasury bilateral income-tax treaties index |
| Safety | 15% | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | IEP Global Peace Index 2025 |
| Climate | 10% | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | Köppen-Geiger climate classification + WHO air-quality database |
| Language | 10% | 9.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | EF English Proficiency Index 2025 |
| Cost of living | 10% | 2.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2026-Q1 |
| Composite | 1.00 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 6.8 | Weighted mean (see weights column) |
Countries with the best education in 2026
The best-education countries in 2026 are ranked on the OECD PISA 2025 combined mean of mathematics, reading and science, mapped to a 0–100 score and normalized across the ranking; non-participants carry a marked estimate. The subject scores behind the top 10 are listed on the page. Best for families relocating with school-age children.
- #1🇸🇬 Singapore100/100 · ~$2,250/mo
- #2🇹🇼 Taiwan100/100 · ~$1,550/mo
- #3🇯🇵 Japan100/100 · ~$2,700/mo
- #4🇰🇷 South Korea100/100 · ~$2,250/mo
- #5🇪🇪 Estonia100/100 · ~$1,950/mo
Top 20 Countries
The top 20 countries with the best education in 2026 are led by Singapore (score 100/100), Taiwan (100/100), and Japan (100/100), based on WhereNext's analysis of 95 countries using institutional public-domain datasets. Estimated monthly cost in Singapore: ~$2,250.
Sorted by education score. Data from institutional public-domain datasets. 5 countries share the top score of 100/100 here — the scale compresses at the top, so the leaders are genuinely close rather than ordered by a visible gap. Where the underlying metric still separates them we use it; where it does not, the order is by data confidence and then alphabetical, not by any hidden judgement.
Singapore
Southeast Asia
Taiwan
East Asia
Japan
East Asia
South Korea
East Asia
Estonia
Northern Europe
Hong Kong
East Asia
United Kingdom
Northern Europe
Canada
North America
New Zealand
Oceania
Australia
Oceania
Ireland
Western Europe
Switzerland
Central Europe
Poland
Central Europe
United States
North America
China
East Asia
Finland
Northern Europe
Austria
Central Europe
Belgium
Western Europe
Czechia
Central Europe
Turkey
Eurasia
Which countries have the best education systems? PISA 2025 scores behind the top 10
Singapore (score 100; PISA 2025 mean 553 — mathematics 563, reading 535, science 560) leads WhereNext's education ranking, ahead of Taiwan (score 100; PISA 2025 mean 531 — mathematics 546, reading 508, science 540) and Japan (score 100; PISA 2025 mean 522 — mathematics 525, reading 503, science 538). The ranking's score compresses at the top — 5 countries show the capped score of 100 — so their order follows the PISA 2025 mean.
| # | Country | Score | PISA mean | Mathematics | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 100 | 553 | 563 | 535 | 560 |
| 2 | Taiwan | 100 | 531 | 546 | 508 | 540 |
| 3 | Japan | 100 | 522 | 525 | 503 | 538 |
| 4 | South Korea | 100 | 516 | 522 | 501 | 526 |
| 5 | Estonia | 100 | 511 | 508 | 499 | 527 |
| 6 | Hong Kong | 93 | 499 | 522 | 480 | 496 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 93 | 498 | 488 | 494 | 511 |
| 8 | Canada | 91 | 495 | 485 | 490 | 510 |
| 9 | New Zealand | 91 | 495 | 480 | 497 | 509 |
| 10 | Australia | 90 | 493 | 478 | 491 | 509 |
The score shown is the ranking's normalized education score: each country's OECD PISA 2025 combined mean of mathematics, reading and science is first mapped to 0–100 (a mean of 300 scores 0, 575 scores 100) and then normalized across the 95 countries, with the top group capped at the same score — which is why several leaders can show 100 while their PISA means differ. 74 of the 95 countries ranked here sat PISA 2025; 21 did not and carry an estimated mean, marked "est." in the table. Source: OECD PISA 2025 Results (Volume I), Table I.1, released 2026-09-08; the next assessment cycle is PISA 2029.
Which country has the best education system in 2025?
Singapore (score 100; PISA 2025 mean 553 — mathematics 563, reading 535, science 560) leads WhereNext's education ranking, ahead of Taiwan (score 100; PISA 2025 mean 531 — mathematics 546, reading 508, science 540) and Japan (score 100; PISA 2025 mean 522 — mathematics 525, reading 503, science 538). The ranking's score compresses at the top — 5 countries show the capped score of 100 — so their order follows the PISA 2025 mean. “Best” here means the strongest PISA 2025 results across the three subjects, not school fees or university rankings — international school costs have their own pages linked below.
How is the education score calculated?
The score shown is the ranking's normalized education score: each country's OECD PISA 2025 combined mean of mathematics, reading and science is first mapped to 0–100 (a mean of 300 scores 0, 575 scores 100) and then normalized across the 95 countries, with the top group capped at the same score — which is why several leaders can show 100 while their PISA means differ. 74 of the 95 countries ranked here sat PISA 2025; 21 did not and carry an estimated mean, marked "est." in the table. Source: OECD PISA 2025 Results (Volume I), Table I.1, released 2026-09-08; the next assessment cycle is PISA 2029.
Which countries are ranked by education in the OECD's PISA 2025 results?
Singapore posted the highest PISA 2025 score of any of the 74 measured countries, leading by the widest margin in reading at 535, for a combined three-subject mean of 553.
This table shows each country's raw OECD PISA 2025 subject scores — not the ranking's normalized score shown above. Source: OECD PISA 2025, released 2026-09-08.
| # | Country | Mathematics | Reading | Science | Combined mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 563 | 535 | 560 | 553 |
| 2 | Taiwan | 546 | 508 | 540 | 531 |
| 3 | Japan | 525 | 503 | 538 | 522 |
| 4 | South Korea | 522 | 501 | 526 | 516 |
| 5 | Estonia | 508 | 499 | 527 | 511 |
| 6 | Hong Kong | 522 | 480 | 496 | 499 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 488 | 494 | 511 | 498 |
| 8 | Canada | 485 | 490 | 510 | 495 |
| 9 | New Zealand | 480 | 497 | 509 | 495 |
| 10 | Australia | 478 | 491 | 509 | 493 |
| 11 | Ireland | 480 | 500 | 500 | 493 |
| 12 | Switzerland | 499 | 470 | 501 | 490 |
| 13 | Poland | 484 | 482 | 495 | 487 |
| 14 | United States | 463 | 490 | 502 | 485 |
| 15 | Finland | 469 | 474 | 504 | 482 |
| 16 | Austria | 477 | 467 | 497 | 480 |
| 17 | Belgium | 480 | 466 | 490 | 479 |
| 18 | Czechia | 477 | 468 | 490 | 478 |
| 19 | Turkey | 462 | 472 | 494 | 476 |
| 20 | Italy | 468 | 474 | 483 | 475 |
| 21 | Lithuania | 470 | 464 | 488 | 474 |
| 22 | Germany | 464 | 465 | 486 | 472 |
| 23 | Sweden | 464 | 466 | 485 | 472 |
| 24 | Denmark | 471 | 460 | 478 | 470 |
| 25 | Netherlands | 483 | 441 | 485 | 470 |
| 26 | Portugal | 460 | 462 | 482 | 468 |
| 27 | France | 458 | 456 | 483 | 466 |
| 28 | Hungary | 459 | 452 | 480 | 464 |
| 29 | Slovakia | 469 | 448 | 475 | 464 |
| 30 | Slovenia | 460 | 445 | 484 | 463 |
| 31 | Spain | 457 | 451 | 477 | 462 |
| 32 | Croatia | 455 | 453 | 476 | 461 |
| 33 | Luxembourg | 458 | 443 | 474 | 458 |
| 34 | Norway | 452 | 453 | 470 | 458 |
| 35 | Latvia | 460 | 430 | 468 | 453 |
| 36 | United Arab Emirates | 453 | 433 | 458 | 448 |
| 37 | Iceland | 450 | 422 | 441 | 438 |
| 38 | Israel | 433 | 436 | 442 | 437 |
| 39 | Malta | 439 | 415 | 453 | 436 |
| 40 | Vietnam | 443 | 392 | 457 | 431 |
| 41 | Chile | 403 | 436 | 442 | 427 |
| 42 | Greece | 424 | 423 | 434 | 427 |
| 43 | Albania | 433 | 408 | 435 | 425 |
| 44 | Uruguay | 405 | 423 | 445 | 424 |
| 45 | Qatar | 416 | 418 | 434 | 423 |
| 46 | Montenegro | 411 | 418 | 435 | 421 |
| 47 | Serbia | 417 | 415 | 429 | 420 |
| 48 | Romania | 419 | 413 | 425 | 419 |
| 49 | Mauritius | 407 | 405 | 438 | 417 |
| 50 | Moldova | 410 | 404 | 422 | 412 |
| 51 | Thailand | 407 | 392 | 432 | 410 |
| 52 | Costa Rica | 387 | 416 | 424 | 409 |
| 53 | Georgia | 416 | 384 | 422 | 407 |
| 54 | Mongolia | 419 | 374 | 424 | 406 |
| 55 | Bulgaria | 405 | 387 | 421 | 404 |
| 56 | Malaysia | 397 | 393 | 419 | 403 |
| 57 | Mexico | 388 | 408 | 414 | 403 |
| 58 | Cyprus | 412 | 379 | 411 | 401 |
| 59 | Brazil | 377 | 408 | 409 | 398 |
| 60 | Colombia | 381 | 399 | 414 | 398 |
| 61 | Saudi Arabia | 390 | 387 | 413 | 397 |
| 62 | Peru | 382 | 390 | 406 | 393 |
| 63 | Jordan | 388 | 363 | 407 | 386 |
| 64 | Argentina | 367 | 389 | 393 | 383 |
| 65 | Ecuador | 366 | 385 | 393 | 381 |
| 66 | Indonesia | 364 | 365 | 389 | 373 |
| 67 | North Macedonia | 380 | 357 | 378 | 372 |
| 68 | Philippines | 371 | 367 | 373 | 370 |
| 69 | Cambodia | 366 | 347 | 382 | 365 |
| 70 | Dominican Republic | 339 | 346 | 361 | 349 |
| 71 | Morocco | 355 | 321 | 358 | 345 |
| 72 | Guatemala | 334 | 337 | 351 | 341 |
| 73 | Kenya | 326 | 320 | 335 | 327 |
| 74 | Rwanda | 312 | 301 | 317 | 310 |
The score shown is the ranking's normalized education score: each country's OECD PISA 2025 combined mean of mathematics, reading and science is first mapped to 0–100 (a mean of 300 scores 0, 575 scores 100) and then normalized across the 95 countries, with the top group capped at the same score — which is why several leaders can show 100 while their PISA means differ. 74 of the 95 countries ranked here sat PISA 2025; 21 did not and carry an estimated mean, marked "est." in the table. Source: OECD PISA 2025 Results (Volume I), Table I.1, released 2026-09-08; the next assessment cycle is PISA 2029.
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.
OECD (2026), PISA 2025 Results (Volume I): Future-Ready Students, Table I.1 'Snapshot of performance in science, reading, mathematics and computational problem-solving' (pp. 28-29), sourced from PISA 2025 Database Annex B1 Tables I.B1.2a.1 (science), I.B1.2a.2 (reading) and I.B1.2a.3 (mathematics). OECD Publishing, Paris, published 8 September 2026. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2025-results-volume-i_73451bc5-en.html (PDF: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/09/pisa-2025-results-volume-i_5265bfb1/73451bc5-en.pdf)
Which countries are ranked by education, from PISA 2025 data?
74 WhereNext countries sat the OECD's PISA 2025 assessment, listed above by combined three-subject mean from Singapore (553) down to Rwanda (310).
Is there a full list of world education rankings by country for 2025?
The table above is the full PISA 2025 measured list of WhereNext countries; the next assessment cycle is PISA 2029, so this stays the latest available results until the OECD publishes it.
What is the difference between a measured and an estimated education ranking of countries?
The score shown is the ranking's normalized education score: each country's OECD PISA 2025 combined mean of mathematics, reading and science is first mapped to 0–100 (a mean of 300 scores 0, 575 scores 100) and then normalized across the 95 countries, with the top group capped at the same score — which is why several leaders can show 100 while their PISA means differ. 74 of the 95 countries ranked here sat PISA 2025; 21 did not and carry an estimated mean, marked "est." in the table. Source: OECD PISA 2025 Results (Volume I), Table I.1, released 2026-09-08; the next assessment cycle is PISA 2029.
Singapore
Southeast Asia
Understanding the Education Rankings
Our education rankings sort 95 countries by their education score, computed from institutional data sources including the World Bank, OECD, and UNDP datasets.
Singapore leads with a score of 100/100, followed by Taiwan (100) and Japan (100). The gap between #1 and #3 is 0 points, indicating a very competitive field at the top.
What It Costs to Live There
The top-ranked countries for education have an average estimated monthly cost of $2,140. Taiwan is the most affordable among the top 5 at ~$1,550/month, making it an attractive option for those seeking strong education on a budget.
These cost estimates cover rent, groceries, transportation, utilities, and basic healthcare for a single person living a moderate lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the countries with the best education ranking. WhereNext scores 95 countries across 7 dimensions using data from the World Bank, WHO, OECD, Global Peace Index, and 23 other institutional sources (dataset last updated 2026-10-01).
What education data do you use?
Are international schools included?
Is this relevant for university education?
Other Rankings
WhereNext publishes 10 country rankings for 2026 covering cost of living, safety, healthcare, education, career opportunity, lifestyle, and infrastructure — each scored independently from institutional public-domain datasets across 95 countries.
Cheapest Countries to Live In
Safest Countries to Live In
Countries with the Best Healthcare
Best Countries for Career & Economy
Best Countries for Lifestyle & Quality of Life
Best Countries for Digital Infrastructure
Countries with the Best Climate
Most English-Friendly Countries
Countries with the Easiest Visas
In-depth guides: Education countries
Deep dives on visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and where to live for each top-ranked destination.
Suggested citation
CC BY 4.0This dataset is free to redistribute, quote, and embed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. The composite form below preserves source lineage so AI assistants can cite both WhereNext and the underlying institutional publishers.
WhereNext composite — WhereNext Education Ranking 2026 (2026-10-01). Derived from: World Bank ICP; WHO Global Health Observatory; OECD PISA + UNESCO UIS; Yale EPI; IEP Global Peace Index; EF EPI; World Bank WGI. Available at https://getwherenext.com/rankings/best-education?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
WhereNext. (2026). WhereNext Education Ranking 2026. Retrieved from https://getwherenext.com/rankings/best-education?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
WhereNext. "WhereNext Education Ranking 2026." WhereNext, 1 Oct 2026, https://getwherenext.com/rankings/best-education?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. Accessed via https://getwherenext.com/rankings/best-education?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
@misc{wherenext_getwherenext_com_rankings_best_education,
author = {{WhereNext}},
title = {WhereNext Education Ranking 2026},
year = {2026},
url = {https://getwherenext.com/rankings/best-education?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation},
note = {CC BY 4.0}
}<a href="https://getwherenext.com/rankings/best-education?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation">WhereNext — WhereNext Education Ranking 2026</a>
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