China tops PISA 2025 maths, United States ranks 27th

China posted the highest mathematics score in the OECD's PISA 2025 assessment with 612 points, results released in September 2026 showed. Singapore followed with 563, Macao 549 and Chinese Taipei 546. The United States ranked 27th with 463 points, while Canada placed 11th with 485. More than 760,000 students across 91 countries and economies sat the test. The OECD average fell from 485 points in 2015 to 463 in 2025.

Written by AI from Times of India — Top · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 20 Sept 2026, 3:08 pm IST

Source

Times of India — Top · read the original report ↗

#pisa#oecd#education#math scores#global rankings

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

China scored 612 points in mathematics, topping PISA 2025; Singapore 563, Macao 549, Chinese Taipei 546. — Figures appear in source and match the ranking table; attributed to OECD, PISA 2025 Results (Volume I).
The United States ranks 27th with 463 points, exactly the OECD average. — Figure appears in source and is internally consistent with the stated OECD average of 463 for 2025.
More than 760,000 students across 91 countries and economies sat the exam, representing about 33 million 15-year-olds. — Stated in source without separate attribution beyond the OECD report; internally consistent.
OECD average maths score fell from 485 in 2015 to 463 in 2025, equated to just over a year of lost learning. — Attributed to the OECD in source; internally consistent.
PISA 2025 results were released in September 2026 and the next cycle is due in 2028. — Stated in source; the release date is in the future relative to normal publishing timelines and should be verified by the editor.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Policy Analyst

PISA 2025 is less a scoreboard than a report card on a decade of education policy design. The OECD average in mathematics falling from 485 in 2015 to 463 in 2025 — a drop the OECD itself equates to more than a year of lost learning — points to a shared problem across wealthy school systems rather than one country's failure. And while China tops the table at 612, the report attributes that score to four highly developed provinces and municipalities, so reading it as a nationwide policy triumph would be a mistake.

East Asian systems holding seven of the top 10 places is a pattern the report says has persisted across earlier PISA cycles, suggesting long-run systemic choices rather than a one-off result.
Because China's score is officially attributed to Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, sampling scope is central to how any country's result should be read.
The United States matching the OECD average at 463 while Canada ranks 11th at 485 shows a 22-point gap between two comparably wealthy neighbouring systems — a reminder that policy design, not income alone, moves outcomes.
The share of 15-year-olds counted as low performers in all three subjects rising from 16 percent in 2022 to 20 percent this cycle is arguably a bigger equity warning than the average score itself.
The finding that more than four hours of daily digital leisure is linked to weaker maths scores, while moderate use is linked to better outcomes than none at all, pushes the debate toward calibrated rules rather than blanket bans.

What to watch — The real test is the 2028 cycle, when the OECD will see whether the East Asia gap has narrowed or widened; until then, watch what governments do about low performers and screen-time guidance.

The story records scores, ranks and trends only — it does not establish which specific policies drove any system's rise or decline, nor whether the screen-time link is causal rather than correlational.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is the OECD's triennial test of 15-year-olds in mathematics, reading and science. The PISA 2025 round, whose results were released in September 2026, covered more than 760,000 students across 91 countries and economies, representing roughly 33 million 15-year-olds. China — represented only by Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang — topped mathematics with 612 points, while the United States ranked 27th with 463, exactly the OECD average. The cycle also recorded the lowest average performance the OECD has ever measured in all three subjects.

Key facts

China scored 612 points in PISA 2025 mathematics, over 100 points above the United States and nearly 150 above the OECD average.
Singapore ranked second with 563 points, 49 behind China; Macao (549) and Chinese Taipei (546) were third and fourth.
More than 760,000 students in 91 countries and economies sat PISA 2025, representing about 33 million 15-year-olds.
The United States ranked 27th with 463 points, exactly the OECD average; 24 countries and economies scored higher in maths and ten of those also beat it in reading.
Canada ranked 11th with 485 points, 22 above the OECD average and ahead of Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
Seven of the top 10 systems are in East Asia; Estonia was the top non-Asian system, 8th at 508 points, the highest European score.
OECD average maths score fell from 485 in 2015 to 463 in 2025 — a drop the OECD equates to just over a year of lost learning.
Low performers in all three subjects rose to 20 percent of 15-year-olds across OECD countries, up from 16 percent in 2022.

Timeline

2015OECD average mathematics score stood at 485 points; reading at 489 and science at 489.
2022Share of OECD 15-year-olds who were low performers in all three subjects was 16 percent.
2025PISA 2025 assessment administered to over 760,000 students in 91 countries and economies.
September 2026PISA 2025 results (Volume I) released; China tops maths at 612 points, US 27th at 463.
2028Next PISA cycle scheduled, to test whether the East Asia performance gap narrows or widens.

Who has a stake

OECD — Administers PISA every three years and sets the global benchmark; its data now records the lowest averages it has ever measured in maths, reading and science.
China (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang) — These four provinces/municipalities form the mainland China sample and posted the world's top maths score of 612.
United States — Ranked 27th at 463 points, exactly at the OECD average, with 24 systems ahead of it in mathematics.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand — Anglophone systems ranking 11th (485), 17th (478) and joint 14th (480) respectively, above the OECD average.
European systems — Estonia leads Europe at 8th (508); Germany and Sweden tie 25th at 464, France and Luxembourg share 33rd at 458.
15-year-old students worldwide — Heavy digital leisure use — over four hours a day — is linked to lower maths scores and weaker sense of school belonging.

Why it matters

PISA is the most widely cited yardstick for comparing school systems, and the 2025 round shows a decade-long slide in learning across rich countries even as East Asian systems hold seven of the top 10 places. The OECD's estimate of just over a year of lost learning, and the rise in students failing in all three subjects to 20 percent, points to a widening global gap in foundational skills. The findings on screen time also give policymakers evidence for debates on device use in and outside school.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

PISA is conducted by the OECD every three years for 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading and science.
PISA 2025 results released September 2026; 91 countries/economies, over 760,000 students, representing about 33 million 15-year-olds.
Top four in maths: China 612, Singapore 563, Macao 549, Chinese Taipei 546.
OECD average maths score fell 485 (2015) to 463 (2025); reading fell 489 to 461; science 489 to 482.
Estonia (8th, 508) was the highest-scoring European system; Canada 11th (485), UK 10th (488), Switzerland 9th (499).
Next PISA cycle: 2028.

Mains framing

The PISA 2025 results present two simultaneous stories: East Asia's entrenched dominance and a broad decline in learning across OECD systems. China's four-region sample scored 612 in mathematics, nearly 150 points above the OECD average of 463, and seven of the top 10 systems are East Asian — a pattern the source notes has held across earlier cycles. At the same time the OECD average in maths fell from 485 in 2015 to 463 in 2025, reading from 489 to 461 and science from 489 to 482, the lowest averages the OECD has recorded, with the share of students who are low performers in all three subjects rising from 16 percent in 2022 to 20 percent. The report links more than four hours of daily digital leisure use to lower maths scores and a weaker sense of school belonging, while moderate use fared better than either zero or very heavy use, suggesting calibrated rather than blanket responses to device use. Any comparative reading must also account for sampling: China's score represents Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, not the whole country. The way forward implied by the data lies in strengthening foundational numeracy and literacy, arresting the decade-long slide, and reducing the bottom tail of low performers before the 2028 cycle.

Key terms

PISA: Programme for International Student Assessment, a global test of 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science, run every three years.
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the body that designs and administers PISA and reports the OECD average.
OECD average: Mean score across OECD member countries; in PISA 2025 maths it was 463 points, down from 485 in 2015.
Low performers: Students falling below PISA proficiency benchmarks; those low in all three subjects rose to 20 percent of OECD 15-year-olds from 16 percent in 2022.
Digital leisure activities: Non-school screen use; above four hours daily was associated with lower maths scores and weaker school belonging.
Chinese Taipei / Macao: Separate PISA-participating economies, ranked fourth (546) and third (549) in mathematics in 2025.

Practice questions

Discuss the reasons behind East Asian education systems consistently dominating PISA rankings, and what the 2025 decline in OECD averages reveals about school learning in developed economies.
PISA 2025 links heavy digital leisure use with lower mathematics performance. Critically examine how education policy should respond to screen time among adolescents.
Comparative international assessments such as PISA sample sub-national regions in some cases. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of using such rankings to judge national education systems.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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