Ranked: Countries With the Smartest Students in 2026

Where Do the World’s Smartest Students Live?

Which countries have the world’s highest-achieving students in mathematics, science, and reading?

This visualization ranks 40 countries and economies using the OECD’s PISA 2025 results, released in September 2026. The assessment measures the skills of 15-year-olds in mathematics, science, and reading across 91 participating education systems.

Student Test Scores by Country, Overall and by Subject

The table below ranks education systems based on OECD PISA 2025 scores in mathematics, science, and reading. The overall ranking uses an equally weighted average of the three subjects, calculated by Visual Capitalist rather than the OECD.

Rank	Country / Economy	Science	Mathematics	Reading	Three-Subject Average
1	B-S-J-Z (China)	597	612	527	578.7
2	Singapore	560	563	535	552.7
3	Chinese Taipei	540	546	508	531.3
4	Macao (China)	541	549	501	530.3
5	Japan	538	525	503	522.0
6	Korea	526	522	501	516.3
7	Estonia	527	508	499	511.3
8	Hong Kong (China)	496	522	480	499.3
9	United Kingdom	511	488	494	497.7
10	New Zealand*	509	480	497	495.3
11	Canada*	510	485	490	495.0
12	Ireland	500	480	500	493.3
13	Australia	509	478	491	492.7
14	Switzerland	501	499	470	490.0
15	Poland	495	484	482	487.0
16	United States*	502	463	490	485.0
17	Finland	504	469	474	482.3
18	Austria	497	477	467	480.3
19	Belgium	490	480	466	478.7
20	Czechia	490	477	468	478.3
21	Türkiye	494	462	472	476.0
22	Italy	483	468	474	475.0
23	Lithuania	488	470	464	474.0
24	Germany	486	464	465	471.7
25	Sweden	485	464	466	471.7
26	Netherlands*	485	483	441	469.7
27	Denmark	478	471	460	469.7
28	Portugal	482	460	462	468.0
29	France	483	458	456	465.7
30	Slovak Republic	475	469	448	464.0
31	Hungary	480	459	452	463.7
32	Slovenia	484	460	445	463.0
33	Spain	477	457	451	461.7
34	Croatia	476	455	453	461.3
35	Luxembourg	474	458	443	458.3
36	Norway*	470	452	453	458.3
37	Latvia	468	460	430	452.7
38	United Arab Emirates	458	453	433	448.0
39	Iceland	441	450	422	437.7
40	Israel	442	433	436	437.0
41	Malta	453	439	415	435.7
42	Brunei Darussalam	439	435	426	433.3
43	Ukrainian regions (17 of 27)	448	431	418	432.3
44	Viet Nam	457	443	392	430.7
45	Chile	442	403	436	427.0
46	Greece	434	424	423	427.0
47	Albania*	435	433	408	425.3
48	Uruguay	445	405	423	424.3
49	Qatar	434	416	418	422.7
50	Montenegro	435	411	418	421.3
51	Serbia	429	417	415	420.3
52	Romania	425	419	413	419.0
53	Mauritius	438	407	405	416.7
54	Moldova	422	410	404	412.0
55	Thailand	432	407	392	410.3
56	Costa Rica	424	387	416	409.0
57	Georgia	422	416	384	407.3
58	Kazakhstan	420	414	385	406.3
59	Mongolia	424	419	374	405.7
60	Bulgaria	421	405	387	404.3
61	Mexico	414	388	408	403.3
62	Malaysia	419	397	393	403.0
63	Azerbaijan	409	422	374	401.7
64	Cyprus	411	412	379	400.7
65	Colombia	414	381	399	398.0
66	Brazil	409	377	408	398.0
67	Saudi Arabia	413	390	387	396.7
68	Peru	406	382	390	392.7
69	Jordan	407	388	363	386.0
70	Argentina	393	367	389	383.0
71	Ecuador	393	366	385	381.3
72	Indonesia	389	364	365	372.7
73	North Macedonia	378	380	357	371.7
74	Philippines	373	371	367	370.3
75	El Salvador	385	346	366	365.7
76	Cambodia	382	366	347	365.0
77	Armenia	369	376	348	364.3
78	Dushanbe (Tajikistan)	334	382	368	361.3
79	Lebanon	372	377	331	360.0
80	Kyrgyzstan	363	364	344	357.0
81	Palestinian Authority	359	354	350	354.3
82	Kosovo	357	350	340	349.0
83	Dominican Republic	361	339	346	348.7
84	Paraguay	355	334	352	347.0
85	Morocco	358	355	321	344.7
86	Guatemala	351	334	337	340.7
87	Kurdistan Region (Iraq)	352	339	312	334.3
88	Kenya	335	326	320	327.0
89	Zambia	337	314	325	325.3
90	Rwanda	317	312	301	310.0
91	Uzbekistan	438

*Sampling limitations

East Asia is home to the world’s highest-scoring students, with education systems in the region occupying all six of the top spots. China’s participating regions, Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, lead in mathematics and science, while Singapore ranks first in reading.

Why Do East Asian Students Perform So Well?

East Asian education systems often emphasize academic discipline, rigorous curricula, teacher development, and strong parental expectations.

Research on Chinese students’ academic success also highlights cultural attitudes toward effort and achievement. However, these outcomes reflect educational and socioeconomic conditions rather than inherent differences in ability.

China’s results represent four relatively prosperous regions, not the country’s entire student population.

Is North American Education Falling Behind?

Canada ranks 11th with 495 points, while the U.S. places 16th with 485. American students score 502 in science and 490 in reading, but just 463 in mathematics.

A Brookings analysis documents declining American test scores since the 2010s, accelerated by pandemic disruptions. Canada’s education system has also faced concerns about weakening academic performance.

Beyond pandemic-related learning losses, widening socioeconomic disparities, chronic absenteeism, and teacher shortages have placed additional pressure on North American schools. These challenges raise questions about how effectively education systems support struggling students, particularly as several East Asian economies continue to outperform North America despite differences in education spending.

Why Are African Countries Missing From the Top 40?

No African education system appears in this top-40 ranking, though limited PISA participation makes continent-wide comparisons difficult. According to UNESCO, inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages, unequal access to education, and poverty remain major challenges.

Gender disparities also matter. Girls in some regions face additional barriers involving early marriage, household responsibilities, and school completion. Both education investment and how effectively resources reach disadvantaged students influence learning opportunities.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

For another perspective on global education, explore Comparing Education Levels Across 45 Countries, which examines educational attainment across different countries.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-countries-with-the-smartest-students/