PISA Results 2000-2022: Global Trends and Changes

Why this matters

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests 15-year-olds in reading, math, and science every three years. It is not just a scoreboard – it is an X-ray of how well school systems build reasoning, literacy, and problem-solving skills. With data available from every PISA cycle since 2000, it is possible to track not only the 2022 downturn but also the long arcs of progress and decline.

The big picture

  • A decade of erosion, then a downturn. Through the 2010s, reading and science declined gradually while math was broadly stable. In 2022 the steepest fall across consecutive cycles occurred, especially in math.
  • Subjects move together. Math, science, and reading are highly correlated across countries (0.93-0.98 in 2022). Systems tend to rise – or stumble – across all three.
  • But tilts are real. Some countries skew toward reading strength (e.g., the United States and Chile) while others are math-leaning (e.g., Singapore and Netherlands).

2022: a global downturn with some resilience

Leaders in 2022

Math (Top 10)

Science (Top 10):

Reading (Top 10)

Full lists are available in the PISA progress rankings: Reading Rankings, Math Rankings, Science Rankings

The steepest declines, 2018-2022

Long-run storylines

Big risers

  • Qatar – Reading +107 since 2006, Math +96, Science +83
  • Türkiye – Math +30, Science +52 since 2003
  • Peru – Reading +81, Science +39 since 2000
  • Kazakhstan – Math +20, Science +23 since 2009

Long-run decliners

  • Finland – Reading -58 since 2000, Science -52 since 2006
  • Iceland – Math -56 since 2003, Science -44 since 2006
  • Netherlands – Math -45 since 2003, Reading -26 since 2000
  • Vietnam – Science -56 since 2012, Math -42 since 2012

Why top performers succeed

  • Singapore: aligned curriculum, targeted support, and deliberate system-level learning. Four in ten students scored at the highest proficiency levels in math, compared to about one in ten across the OECD (OECD PISA 2022 Results).
  • Japan: 88 percent of students reached at least Level 2 proficiency in math, compared with the OECD average of 69 percent (OECD country note).
  • South Korea: combines depth at the top with broad coverage; more students than average reached high proficiency while also meeting minimum standards (OECD PISA 2022).
  • Estonia: strong results across all subjects, modest socio-economic gaps, and relatively stable trends through 2022 (OECD PISA 2022).

Takeaways

  • The 2022 downturn was broad. Math and reading fell sharply in most countries.
  • Resilience is possible. Countries like Japan, Singapore, Brunei and Panama managed to hold ground or improve.
  • Long arcs matter. Reforms compound: Peru and Qatar show sustained gains; Finland illustrates how quickly leadership can erode.
  • Subject tilts reveal priorities. Reading-leaning systems (e.g., United States and Chile) may need more quantitative focus; math-leaning ones (Singapore, Netherlands) may benefit from deeper work on sustained reading comprehension.

Sources

Explore the Rankings: PISA Survey by topic

Dive deeper into the data. View the complete PISA Reading rankings, PISA Math rankings, and PISA Science rankings for all countries.

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