Every three years, the OECD gives the same test to 15-year-olds around the world. The 2025 results are out. Here is what they say about the UK — in ten minutes, without the jargon.
The short version
- 01UK teenagers score above average in all three subjects, and in the world's top ten in each one.
- 02Science scores actually went up — one of only four OECD countries where that happened.
- 03Over ten years the UK barely slipped, while most comparable countries fell sharply.
- 04Pupils from immigrant families score exactly the same as everyone else. That is almost unheard of.
- 05But bullying is worse than average, and fewer than half of pupils are taught to question what AI tells them.
Where the UK stands, subject by subject
PISA scores sit on a scale built around 500 points. Above that, a country is doing better than the average of the world's developed economies; below it, worse. The UK is comfortably above on all three.
Science
Where the UK sits on the scale
The UK sits 29 points above the OECD average. The lowest-scoring country, Rwanda, is on 317; the four Chinese provinces at the top of the table are on 597.
The real story: Britain stopped the slide
Across the developed world, reading and maths have fallen hard since 2015 — the OECD lost more than a year of learning in reading alone. The UK is the exception. Science is exactly where it was ten years ago, and the losses in reading and maths are a fraction of everyone else's.
Ten years on
Points lost between 2015 and 2025
Science
Reading
Maths
Longer bar means a bigger fall. The UK bar for science is empty because the score did not move at all. Source: OECD, PISA 2025, Table I.2.9.
Canada*, Netherlands*, New Zealand*, Norway*, United States* and Albania*
It means the test was not taken under fully reliable conditions. In New Zealand, barely half the randomly chosen schools took part, and the OECD estimates its scores may be overstated by 10 to 15 points. The UK met every sampling standard, so its figures can be read at face value. It is comparisons with those six countries that need care.
Where the UK sits in science, from bottom to top
The UK comes eighth overall in science. Everyone above it is in East Asia, apart from Estonia - which makes Estonia the only country in Europe scoring higher. The gap to the four Chinese provinces tested is 86 points; the gap to the OECD average is 29 points, in the UK's favour.
Fall in the share of UK pupils struggling in science since 2022. Fewer children are being left behind.
Rise in the share reaching the top grades. Most countries manage one or the other — rarely both at once.
The finding nobody expected
517 and 517
Pupils from immigrant families in the UK score exactly the same in science as pupils whose families are not. Across the OECD there is a 43-point gap. In France it is 57 points. A gap of zero is almost unheard of — and it is the single most remarkable number in the UK's results.
Family background still matters in Britain, but less than in most comparable countries — and the gap has been closing for the right reason.
Who gets left behind
Score gap between the richest and poorest quarter of pupils
A smaller number means a fairer system. Background explains 8.5% of the difference in UK science results, against 11.6% across the OECD. And 14.4% of poorer UK pupils still reach the higher grades, against 11.9% OECD-wide.
Since 2022, poorer UK pupils gained 13 points while better-off pupils held steady, up 1. So the gap closed without anyone going backwards. France posted the same 13-point gain for its poorest pupils — but its better-off pupils fell 8 points. Across the OECD, better-off pupils dropped 8 points on average. Two countries, the same headline, opposite machinery underneath. The unusual part of the UK's result is not the 13 — it is that the top held.
Britain breaks the pattern — in both directions
Almost everywhere in the world, girls read far better than boys and boys do somewhat better at maths. The UK bucks the first half of that and exaggerates the second.
Girls and boys
Britain breaks the pattern — in both directions
Science
Reading
Maths
UK boys are ahead of girls in science by 12 points — one of the few countries where that happens. The UK reading gap, at 13 points, is less than half the OECD's 30. But the maths gap in boys' favour is nearly double the OECD average.
The gaps run in opposite directions depending on the subject, so it is worth being clear which way each one points. The familiar version of this story is that girls are ahead in reading, and in England they still are - but by 11 points, down from 23 in 2015. That is one of the narrower reading gaps anywhere, and well below the OECD average of 30. Good news, on the face of it.
The other two subjects run the other way, with boys in front. In maths their lead has doubled, from 12 points in 2015 to 26 today. In science, they are ahead by 13 points - a gap that did not exist at all in 2022, 2018 or 2015.
Strict on phones, silent on judgement
Britain has among the toughest phone rules in the developed world. What it has not done is teach children to question what a chatbot tells them — and on that measure it sits well below average, and below France.
UK pupils are in schools where phones are banned. Across the OECD it is 1 in 2; in France, 1 in 4.
Are taught in class how to judge whether AI-generated information is true. The OECD average is 63%.
Use AI at least weekly to help them learn, against almost half across the OECD.
Say they are never distracted by screens in lessons — better than the OECD's 39%.
Good teaching, unhappy playgrounds
Underneath the strong results sit two warning lights. UK pupils report more bullying than the OECD average, and a weaker sense of belonging at school — even as they rate their teachers unusually highly.
Of UK pupils say they are free from bullying. Across the OECD it is 53%, in France 56%. Bullying is linked to lower results and lower wellbeing.
UK pupils feel they belong at school less than the OECD average — unusual for a high-performing system.
UK pupils report more support from their teachers than almost any comparable country, and far more than in France.
Of UK answers are rushed and wrong, against 8.9% OECD-wide, at a time when hasty reading has nearly doubled since 2018.
One UK score, four different school systems
PISA reports a single headline figure for the United Kingdom, but England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each run their own curriculum, their own qualifications and their own inspection regime - and each is sampled separately, so each gets its own scores.
One UK score, four different results
PISA publishes a single UK figure, but England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are sampled separately - and they do not all score the same.
Source: OECD, PISA 2025, and the national reports published by the Department for Education, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Department of Education.
Five things the data actually supports
Not general advice — each of these comes straight out of this year's findings.
Teach them to argue with the chatbot
Fewer than half of UK pupils are shown how to check AI output at school. Ask your child how they know an answer is right — the OECD found pupils who use AI and learn to question it do better than those who just use it.
Two hours of homework is the ceiling, not the target
Results improve with homework time up to about two hours a day, then go into reverse. If your child is routinely spending longer, the problem is usually understanding, not effort.
Protect reading that has nothing to do with school
Reading is the foundation the OECD says everything else rests on, and "hasty readers" — pupils who skim and answer wrong — have nearly doubled since 2018. The UK is doing better than most here. It is worth keeping.
Ask about the playground, not just the grades
Only 44% of UK pupils say they are free from bullying, and belonging at school is below average. Both are linked to lower attainment — and neither shows up on a report card.
Use the teachers — they are a British strength
UK pupils report more teacher support than almost anywhere. If your child is stuck, asking is more likely to work here than in most countries.
Compare the countries you care about
Tick up to six countries in the list to compare them across the four subjects. The UK is selected by default.
PISA 2025: compare countries
Tick up to six countries to compare them across the four subjects assessed. United Kingdom is selected by default.
| Rank | Country | Science | Since 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B-S-J-Z (China) | 597 | — | ||
| 2 | Singapore | 560 | −2 | ||
| 3 | Macao (China) | 541 | −2 | ||
| 4 | Chinese Taipei | 540 | +2 | ||
| 5 | Japan | 538 | −9 | ||
| 6 | Estonia | 527 | +1 | ||
| 7 | Korea | 526 | −2 | ||
| 8 | United Kingdom | 511 | +12 | ||
| 9 | Canada* | 510 | −5 | ||
| 10 | New Zealand* | 509 | +5 | ||
| 11 | Australia | 509 | +2 | ||
| 12 | Finland | 504 | −7 | ||
| 13 | United States* | 502 | +2 | ||
| 14 | Switzerland | 501 | −1 | ||
| 15 | Ireland | 500 | −4 | ||
| 16 | Austria | 497 | +6 | ||
| 17 | Hong Kong (China) | 496 | −25 | ||
| 18 | Poland | 495 | −4 | ||
| 19 | Türkiye | 494 | +18 | ||
| 20 | Czechia | 490 | −7 | ||
| 21 | Belgium | 490 | −1 | ||
| 22 | Lithuania | 488 | +3 | ||
| 23 | Germany | 486 | −7 | ||
| 24 | Netherlands* | 485 | −3 | ||
| 25 | Sweden | 485 | −8 | ||
| 26 | Slovenia | 484 | −16 | ||
| 27 | France | 483 | −4 | ||
| 28 | Italy | 483 | +6 | ||
| 29 | Portugal | 482 | −3 | ||
| — | OECD average | 482 | −3 | ||
| 30 | Hungary | 480 | −6 | ||
| 31 | Denmark | 478 | −16 | ||
| 32 | Spain | 477 | −7 | ||
| 33 | Croatia | 476 | −6 | ||
| 34 | Slovak Republic | 475 | +13 | ||
| 35 | Luxembourg | 474 | — | ||
| 36 | Norway* | 470 | −8 | ||
| 37 | Latvia | 468 | −25 | ||
| 38 | United Arab Emirates | 458 | +26 | ||
| 39 | Viet Nam | 457 | — | ||
| 40 | Malta | 453 | −13 | ||
| 41 | Ukrainian regions (17 of 27) | 448 | −1 | ||
| 42 | Uruguay | 445 | +9 | ||
| 43 | Chile | 442 | −1 | ||
| 44 | Israel | 442 | −23 | ||
| 45 | Iceland | 441 | −6 | ||
| 46 | Brunei Darussalam | 439 | −6 | ||
| 47 | Mauritius | 438 | — | ||
| 48 | Uzbekistan | 438 | +83 | ||
| 49 | Montenegro | 435 | +32 | ||
| 50 | Albania* | 435 | — | ||
| 51 | Qatar | 434 | +2 | ||
| 52 | Greece | 434 | −7 | ||
| 53 | Thailand | 432 | +23 | ||
| 54 | Serbia | 429 | −18 | ||
| 55 | Romania | 425 | −3 | ||
| 56 | Mongolia | 424 | +12 | ||
| 57 | Costa Rica | 424 | +13 | ||
| 58 | Georgia | 422 | +38 | ||
| 59 | Moldova | 422 | +5 | ||
| 60 | Bulgaria | 421 | 0 | ||
| 61 | Kazakhstan | 420 | −4 | ||
| 62 | Malaysia | 419 | +3 | ||
| 63 | Colombia | 414 | +3 | ||
| 64 | Mexico | 414 | +4 | ||
| 65 | Saudi Arabia | 413 | +23 | ||
| 66 | Cyprus | 411 | 0 | ||
| 67 | Azerbaijan | 409 | — | ||
| 68 | Brazil | 409 | +6 | ||
| 69 | Jordan | 407 | +32 | ||
| 70 | Peru | 406 | −2 | ||
| 71 | Ecuador | 393 | — | ||
| 72 | Argentina | 393 | −13 | ||
| 73 | Indonesia | 389 | +6 | ||
| 74 | El Salvador | 385 | +12 | ||
| 75 | Cambodia | 382 | +35 | ||
| 76 | North Macedonia | 378 | −1 | ||
| 77 | Philippines | 373 | +17 | ||
| 78 | Lebanon | 372 | — | ||
| 79 | Armenia | 369 | — | ||
| 80 | Kyrgyzstan | 363 | — | ||
| 81 | Dominican Republic | 361 | 0 | ||
| 82 | Palestinian Authority | 359 | −17 | ||
| 83 | Morocco | 358 | −7 | ||
| 84 | Kosovo | 357 | 0 | ||
| 85 | Paraguay | 355 | −13 | ||
| 86 | Kurdistan Region (Iraq) | 352 | — | ||
| 87 | Guatemala | 351 | −22 | ||
| 88 | Zambia | 337 | — | ||
| 89 | Kenya | 335 | — | ||
| 90 | Dushanbe (Tajikistan) | 334 | — | ||
| 91 | Rwanda | 317 | — |
References
- OECD, PISA 2025 Results: United Kingdom Country Note (2026). Socio-economic gap (80 points), the 48% figure, academic resilience, top and low performers. https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/09/pisa-2025-results-volume-i-country-notes_88d1164e/united-kingdom_044541d1/9e46f2f7-en.pdf
- OECD, PISA 2025 Results (international report and data tables) (2026). https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2026/09/pisa-2025-results-volume-i_5265bfb1.html
- Department for Education, PISA 2025: national report for England (2026). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6aa0073962ec7fe7bedf5160/pisa-2025-national-report-for-england.pdf
- Department for Education, PISA 2025: national report for the United Kingdom (2026). https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2025-results-volume-i-country-notes_2d4ff9ea-en/united-kingdom_9e46f2f7-en.html
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