Girls Outscore Boys in Reading in 89 of 90 Education Systems

Where Is the Reading Gender Gap the Widest?

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures how well 15-year-olds can apply reading, mathematics, and science skills to real-world challenges. Its latest results show a wide gender gap in reading performance.

How Big Is the Reading Gap Between Girls and Boys?

The table below shows mean reading scores by gender from the OECD’s PISA 2025 Results.

Country/Economy	Girls (Avg. score)	Boys (Avg. score)	Difference (Girls – Boys)
Singapore	548	522	26
B-S-J-Z (China)	530	523	7
Chinese Taipei	528	489	39
Korea	515	487	28
New Zealand*	514	480	33
Macao (China)	513	490	22
Estonia	512	487	25
Japan	510	496	14
Ireland	510	491	19
Australia	507	475	31
United Kingdom	501	488	14
Canada*	501	479	22
United States*	501	477	24
Poland	500	463	37
Finland	498	452	46
Italy	488	460	28
Sweden	487	447	41
Hong Kong (China)	486	474	12
Lithuania	486	442	44
Switzerland	485	454	31
Czechia	484	454	31
Belgium	483	450	33
Türkiye	482	460	22
Austria	480	454	26
Portugal	479	445	33
Germany	478	453	25
Croatia	477	430	47
Denmark	476	445	31
France	473	441	32
Norway*	473	434	39
Slovenia	471	420	52
Slovak Republic	466	429	37
Spain	464	439	26
Hungary	462	442	20
Netherlands*	459	424	35
Luxembourg	458	429	30
Israel	455	417	38
United Arab Emirates	451	414	37
Latvia	450	409	42
Chile	446	425	21
Greece	446	400	46
Montenegro	440	399	41
Iceland	439	408	31
Brunei Darussalam	438	414	25
Qatar	438	398	40
Malta	438	392	47
Uruguay	436	411	25
Serbia	435	395	40
Ukrainian regions (17 of 27)	434	402	32
Romania	429	399	30
Costa Rica	423	409	14
Albania*	423	391	32
Moldova	423	385	38
Brazil	419	397	21
Mauritius	415	395	20
Mexico	414	402	12
Bulgaria	412	364	49
Colombia	407	391	16
Thailand	406	376	30
Georgia	406	364	42
Viet Nam	404	379	25
Malaysia	403	382	22
Cyprus	401	357	44
Saudi Arabia	400	374	26
Peru	399	382	17
Kazakhstan	398	372	27
Argentina	394	385	9
Ecuador	394	376	18
Azerbaijan	392	356	36
Mongolia	390	358	31
Philippines	380	354	27
Jordan	379	346	33
Indonesia	377	353	24
El Salvador	375	358	17
Palestinian Authority	374	319	56
North Macedonia	373	342	31
Dushanbe (Tajikistan)	372	364	8
Armenia	368	327	40
Paraguay	361	343	18
Dominican Republic	360	330	30
Kyrgyzstan	358	331	27
Kosovo	358	322	35
Cambodia	355	338	17
Guatemala	342	333	9
Lebanon	335	326	10
Morocco	329	313	17
Kurdistan Region (Iraq)	328	295	33
Zambia	326	324	2
Kenya	322	319	3
Rwanda	298	304	-6
OECD average	476	446	30

*Indicates low school and student participation, with rates falling below international standards.

Rwanda was the lone system where boys posted a higher mean score, leading by six points. Girls had higher mean scores in the other 89 systems, although the differences in Kenya and Zambia were not statistically significant. The largest gaps favoring girls reached 45 points or more in seven systems.

Among OECD countries, 37% of boys failed to reach baseline reading proficiency, compared with 25% of girls. At the top end, 7% of girls and 5% of boys reached Level 5 or higher.

These differences emerge well before age 15: multicountry research has found a female reading advantage in early primary grades, while U.S. research has observed gaps from fourth grade onward.

Why Does the Reading Gap Persist?

Engagement may be part of the picture. UNESCO reports that boys tend to express less enjoyment of and confidence in reading, while UK research similarly finds lower reading enjoyment among boys. These patterns suggest the gap cannot be reduced to ability alone.

Recent declines have also been steeper among boys. From 2022 to 2025, boys’ OECD-average reading scores fell 17 points, compared with a 12-point decline for girls, widening the gender gap by five points.

The divide also provides context for later educational patterns, with stark differences emerging in women’s and men’s participation in higher education. Reading proficiency can influence access to further education and, in turn, earning prospects in the workforce.

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Explore The Largest Gender Pay Gaps in OECD Countries to see how gender differences appear later in the labor market.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/girls-outscore-boys-in-reading-89-of-90-education-systems/