Every three years, the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) evaluates how well 15-year-olds can apply reading skills to real-world situations.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, ranks the top-performing countries based on their average reading scores.

The data for this visualization comes from the OECD’s PISA 2022 results.

PISA measures reading proficiency in a student’s native or primary language of instruction, focusing on comprehension, interpretation, and evaluation of written texts. Top-performing systems typically score in the 550–560 range, while the OECD average is 476.

Singapore Leads by a Wide Margin

Singapore ranks first globally with an average reading score of 543, placing it comfortably ahead of all other countries. The city-state’s education system emphasizes structured literacy, teacher quality, and early intervention for struggling students. The country also leads the world in math performance.

Japan and Ireland follow at a distant second and third, both scoring 516.

Rank
Country
Average PISA Score
1
🇸🇬 Singapore
543
2
🇯🇵 Japan
516
3
🇮🇪 Ireland
516
4
🇹🇼 Taiwan
515
5
🇰🇷 Korea
515
6
🇪🇪 Estonia
511
7
🇲🇴 Macao
510
8
🇨🇦 Canada
507
9
🇺🇸 United States
504
10
🇳🇿 New Zealand
501
11
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
500
12
🇦🇺 Australia
498
13
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
494
14
🇫🇮 Finland
490
15
🇵🇱 Poland
489
16
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
489
17
🇩🇰 Denmark
489
18
🇸🇪 Sweden
487
19
🇨🇭 Switzerland
483
20
🇮🇹 Italy
482
21
🇩🇪 Germany
480
22
🇦🇹 Austria
480
23
🇧🇪 Belgium
479
24
🇵🇹 Portugal
477
25
🇳🇴 Norway
477
—
🌍 OECD average
476
26
🇱🇻 Latvia
475
27
🇭🇷 Croatia
475
28
🇫🇷 France
474
29
🇪🇸 Spain
474
30
🇮🇱 Israel
474

Strong Showing from East Asia and Northern Europe

East Asian economies dominate the top of the ranking, with Taiwan, Korea, Macao, Hong Kong, and Japan all placing in the top 11. These systems often stress rigorous curricula, strong parental involvement, and consistent national standards.

Northern European countries such as Estonia and Finland also perform well, reflecting long-standing investments in equitable education and student well-being. Estonia’s score of 511 places it among the global elite despite its relatively small population.

English-Speaking Countries Cluster Near the Top

Several English-speaking countries also appear in the upper half of the ranking, including Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Canada leads this group with a score of 507.

Notably, many large European economies, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, cluster around or just above the OECD average.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The World’s Wealthiest Nations in 2025 on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.