Students in East Asia dominate the global education rankings, with China, Singapore, Chinese Taipei and Macao occupying the first four positions in a ranking of countries and economies with the highest-performing students in 2026.
The ranking is based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 results, released on September 8, 2026.
The assessment examined the academic performance of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science and reading across 91 countries and economies. More than 760,000 students participated in the assessment, representing approximately 33 million young people worldwide.
The ranking uses the average scores across the three subjects, with each subject carrying equal weight. Visual Capitalist calculated the overall averages rather than using an official OECD country ranking.
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The ranking also shows the performance gap between education systems across the three subjects. East Asian countries and economies occupy six of the first eight positions, while Estonia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand represent Europe and Oceania in the top 10.
However, the results do not establish that students in one country are inherently more intelligent than those in another. They measure performance within participating education systems and reflect factors such as access to education, teaching, learning conditions and socioeconomic circumstances.
For governments, the findings offer an opportunity to examine what works in education and where investment is needed to improve learning outcomes.
Although often described as a measure of student intelligence, PISA assesses how well students apply their knowledge and skills to real-life situations. Its findings offer insight into how education systems prepare young people for further education, employment and everyday challenges.
Here are the 10 countries and economies that lead the 2026 ranking.
1. B-S-J-Z (China) – 578.7 points
China’s participating regions, Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, occupy the first position with an average score of 578.7 points across the three subjects.
The regions recorded 612 points in mathematics, 597 in science and 527 in reading.
Their mathematics and science results placed them ahead of every other education system in the ranking. The figures, however, represent four regions and should not be interpreted as the performance of students across the whole of China.
2. Singapore – 552.7 points
Singapore ranks second with an average of 552.7 points. Its students scored 563 in mathematics, 560 in science and 535 in reading.
The country recorded the highest reading score among the 10 entries and ranked behind only China’s participating regions in the overall assessment.
Its performance across all three subjects places it among the leading education systems in the 2025 PISA assessment.
3. Chinese Taipei – 531.3 points
Chinese Taipei takes third place with an average score of 531.3 points. Its students recorded 546 points in mathematics, 540 in science and 508 in reading.
The results show that the education system performed above the 500-point mark in all three subjects, securing a position among the top three entries in the overall ranking.
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4. Macao (China) – 530.3 points
Macao ranks fourth with an average of 530.3 points, narrowly behind Chinese Taipei. Students in the region scored 549 in mathematics, 541 in science and 501 in reading.
Mathematics was its strongest subject, while its reading score placed it just above the 500-point mark.
5. Japan – 522 points
Japan occupies fifth place with an average score of 522 points. Its students recorded 538 in science, 525 in mathematics and 503 in reading.
The results place Japan among the five education systems with the highest combined scores. Science was its strongest subject, with reading recording the lowest score across the three assessment areas.
6. Korea – 516.3 points
Korea ranks sixth with an average of 516.3 points. Its students scored 526 in science, 522 in mathematics and 501 in reading.
The country recorded scores above 500 in all three subjects, maintaining its position among the leading education systems in the assessment.
7. Estonia – 511.3 points
Estonia is the first European country in the ranking, taking seventh place with an average of 511.3 points.
Its students scored 527 in science, 508 in mathematics and 499 in reading. Science accounted for its highest result, while reading fell one point short of the 500-point mark.
8. Hong Kong (China) – 499.3 points
Hong Kong ranks eighth with an average of 499.3 points. Its mathematics score of 522 was its highest result, followed by science at 496 and reading at 480.
The figures show a difference between its mathematics performance and its results in reading and science.
9. United Kingdom – 497.7 points
The United Kingdom takes ninth place with an average score of 497.7 points. Students recorded 511 in science, 494 in reading and 488 in mathematics.
Science was the country’s strongest subject, while mathematics recorded its lowest score. The United Kingdom remains among the 10 education systems leading the overall ranking.
10. New Zealand – 495.3 points
New Zealand completes the top 10 with an average of 495.3 points. Its students scored 509 in science, 497 in reading and 480 in mathematics.
Science recorded the country’s highest result, while mathematics accounted for its lowest. The country secured the final position among the top 10.
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Chisom Michael is a data analyst (audience engagement) and writer at BusinessDay, with diverse experience in the media industry. He holds a BSc in Industrial Physics from Imo State University and an MEng in Computer Science and Technology from Liaoning Univerisity of Technology China. He specialises in listicle writing, profiles and leveraging his skills in audience engagement analysis and data-driven insights to create compelling content that resonates with readers.
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