The PISA 2025 OECD average was 482 points in science, 463 points in mathematics, and 461 points in reading. OECD released the first PISA 2025 results on September 8, 2026, covering more than 760,000 students across 91 countries and economies.
PISA 2025 OECD Average Scores
Mean performance among OECD countries in the three core PISA domains.
| Domain | OECD average | PISA 2025 role |
|---|---|---|
| Science | 482 | Major domain |
| Mathematics | 463 | Core domain |
| Reading | 461 | Core domain |
Mean scores summarize the distribution of performance among 15-year-old students. Science, mathematics and reading use separate PISA scales, so the three scores should not be added together to create an unofficial overall PISA score.
PISA 2025 recorded the lowest OECD-average performance observed so far in science, reading and mathematics. Science was comparatively stable in the latest cycle, while the recent declines were larger in reading and mathematics.
How the OECD Average Changed from PISA 2022 to 2025
For trend comparisons, OECD uses a consistent 35-country set rather than simply subtracting the headline averages published for each cycle.
OECD Score Change, 2022 to 2025
Change in mean performance across the OECD average-35 comparison set, in score points.
The comparison uses OECD average-35: all OECD members except Costa Rica, Luxembourg and Spain. The 3-point science decline was not statistically significant.
| Domain | 2022–2025 change | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Science | −3 | The OECD average-35 changed little; the decline was not statistically significant. |
| Mathematics | −9 | Mean mathematics performance declined between the two cycles. |
| Reading | −14 | Reading recorded the largest short-term decline of the three core domains. |
The short-term pattern is uneven. Science changed by only 3 points, while reading fell by about 14 points and mathematics by 9 points across the consistent OECD comparison group. The latest science result therefore differs from the continuing downward movement in reading and mathematics.
OECD Average in 2015 and 2025
The decade comparison shows a much larger decline in reading and mathematics than in science.
| Domain | 2015 OECD average | 2025 OECD average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science | 489 | 482 | −7 |
| Mathematics | 485 | 463 | −22 |
| Reading | 489 | 461 | −28 |
- Science fell by 7 points between 2015 and 2025, a smaller decade-long movement than in the other two core domains.
- Mathematics declined by 22 points over the same period.
- Reading declined by 28 points, the largest of the three decade changes reported by OECD.
The longer series adds context to the relatively stable science result between 2022 and 2025. OECD reports that science has declined more gradually over the past decade, while mathematics fell especially sharply after 2018 and reading declined after reaching higher levels earlier in the PISA series.
Why the Official Reading Change Is −14 Points, Not −15
The headline OECD reading average published for PISA 2022 was 476 points, while the PISA 2025 headline average is 461. Direct subtraction gives 15 points. OECD nevertheless reports the official 2022–2025 short-term reading change as about −14 points.
This is not a contradiction. The trend calculation uses OECD average-35, a consistent group that excludes Costa Rica, Luxembourg and Spain. A cross-cycle trend should therefore use OECD’s matched comparison series rather than subtracting headline averages based on potentially different country sets.
What “OECD Average” Means in PISA
OECD defines the PISA OECD average as the arithmetic mean of the relevant country estimates. It is an average across OECD member-country results rather than a student-population-weighted score for the OECD as a single combined education system.
| OECD label | What it represents | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| OECD average | Arithmetic mean across OECD member countries included in the relevant indicator. | Current-cycle comparisons such as the headline PISA 2025 scores. |
| OECD average-35 | A consistent 35-country group excluding Costa Rica, Luxembourg and Spain. | Comparable science, reading and mathematics trends since PISA 2015. |
| OECD average-23 | A smaller set of OECD countries with sufficiently consistent data across the full historical series. | Long-run comparisons spanning the earlier PISA cycles through 2025. |
The country set behind an OECD average can vary when data are unavailable or when a comparison requires consistent observations across several cycles. The label attached to a table or figure identifies the comparison universe that should be used.
How to Interpret the Three 2025 Scores
An OECD mean score summarizes performance across students. It does not mean that every student performs at the capability level associated with that numerical point on a PISA scale. Shares below Level 2 and at Levels 5 or 6 are separate measures and should be analyzed as proficiency distributions rather than inferred from the mean alone.
PISA 2025 Coverage
More than 760,000 students participated in PISA 2025 across 91 countries and economies. OECD estimates that the participating students represented around 33 million 15-year-olds. Science was the major domain, with reading and mathematics also assessed as core domains.
Eighteen participating systems performed above the OECD average in all three core domains. This comparison is based on each domain separately; OECD does not publish a combined science-mathematics-reading mean as an official overall PISA score.
Data Sources and Measurement
The 482 science, 463 mathematics and 461 reading averages come from OECD’s PISA 2025 student-score data and PISA 2025 Results, Volume I.
OECD PISA Student ScoresOECD Tables I.B1.2a.1–3 report 2025 mean performance. Tables I.B1.2a.36–38 provide science, reading and mathematics trend data, including the 2022–2025 comparison.
OECD PISA 2025 Student PerformanceThe PISA 2025 Reader’s Guide defines the OECD average, OECD average-35 and OECD average-23 and explains why consistent country sets are required for trend comparisons.
OECD PISA 2025 Reader’s GuideThe OECD report was released on September 8, 2026 and documents participation, the three core-domain results and the broader PISA 2025 findings.
PISA 2025 Results, Volume IThe earlier OECD publication reported 2022 means of 485 in science, 472 in mathematics and 476 in reading. These headline values should not replace the matched OECD average-35 series when calculating official cross-cycle changes.
OECD PISA 2022 Performance ResultsPISA estimates are sample-based and are reported with statistical uncertainty. OECD calculates differences and averages using unrounded estimates before displaying rounded values, so manually subtracting rounded headline scores can occasionally differ from an officially published change.