China has emerged as the global leader in science education, securing the top position in the latest PISA 2025 assessment conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The comprehensive evaluation, which involved over 760,000 15-year-old students across 91 countries and economies, highlights a significant dominance by Asian education systems.
Asian Nations Lead Science Proficiency
The PISA 2025 assessment rigorously measured students' scientific knowledge, their ability to explain phenomena, evaluate evidence, and utilize scientific information for decision-making. China's average science score of 597 placed it significantly ahead of other nations. Singapore followed with 560 points, and Macao secured third place with 541.
The top five was rounded out by Taiwan (540) and Japan (538), underscoring the consistent high performance of East Asian countries in international educational benchmarks. Overall, six of the top seven positions were claimed by Asian economies, demonstrating a strong regional focus on science proficiency.
Top 10 Countries in Science Education (PISA 2025)
- China: 597
- Singapore: 560
- Macao: 541
- Taiwan: 540
- Japan: 538
- Estonia: 527
- South Korea: 526
- United Kingdom: 511
- Canada: 510
- New Zealand: 509 (tied with Australia)
Estonia Leads European Performance
Estonia distinguished itself as the highest-ranking European nation, securing sixth place globally with a score of 527. Other notable European performances included the United Kingdom at 511, Finland at 504, and Switzerland at 501. Major European economies like Germany (486), France (483), Italy (483), and Spain (477) scored below the top tier.
United States Performance and OECD Caution
The United States ranked 13th overall, achieving an average science score of 502. While this score is above the OECD average of 482, it places the U.S. behind Canada, which ranked ninth globally with a score of 510.
The OECD also issued a caution, noting that relatively small differences between countries' scores might not always represent statistically significant variations. This suggests that closely ranked countries should be interpreted as having similar levels of performance rather than definitively distinct ones.