The OECD's Pisa 2025 assessment of knowledge provides information on how 15-year-olds in 91 countries and regions perform in science, reading and mathematics. For Sweden, the results are a cold shower, the international report shows.
The decline is greatest in reading comprehension (–21 points) and mathematics (–18 points), while the drop in science (–8 points) is smaller. 20 points is equivalent to about a year of learning.
A third of Swedish 15-year-olds do not reach what the OECD defines as a basic level in reading comprehension and mathematics.
It is very serious that we see such a large group that does not reach a basic level, says Anna Castberg, head of analysis at the Swedish National Agency for Education, to TT.
But then it's important to remember that this doesn't mean that students can't read. It does mean that they can't absorb texts in a more complex way.
“Lower stamina”
Despite the significantly deteriorated results, Sweden is at, and not below, the OECD average in all three areas. The explanation is that a large number of other countries are also falling behind.
This is most evident in reading comprehension, where even strong Pisa countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea are among the many that have lost ground since the previous Pisa survey, in 2022. In the Nordic countries, all five countries have poorer results in all three knowledge areas.
The proportion of 15-year-olds who perform poorly in all three areas is now 19.4 percent in Sweden and 19.7 percent in the OECD. This means that almost one in five students has difficulty both reading a simple text and interpreting simple data.
Looking at the areas individually, the percentages with very weak skills are even higher. In reading skills, for example, 31 percent of Swedish students can't handle more than the simplest texts, the same as the OECD average.
We will need more time to analyze the results in depth. What we can say is that there are factors at several levels that play a role, says Anna Castberg.
Reliable sample
The general decline in the Pisa survey has raised questions about the reliability of the tests.
You can trust the results in Pisa 2025. We are surprised that there is such a big decline, and so is the OECD. Now we have to analyze why there has been such a big decline, says Anna Castberg.
Facts: Pisa 2025 results, reading comprehension
Highest score and ranking of all (within and outside the OECD), Nordic countries' ranking and score, and OECD average. Score change since Pisa 2022 in brackets.
1. Singapore, 535 points (–8)
2. Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China), 527 points (no result for 2022)
3. Taiwan, 508 points (–7)
16. Finland, 474 points (–16)
22. Sweden, 466 points (–21)
OECD average: 463 points (–14)
27. Denmark, 460 points (–29)
30. Norway, 453 points (–24)
44. Iceland, 422 points (–14)
Source: OECD
Highest score and ranking of all (within and outside the OECD), Nordic countries' ranking and score, and OECD average. Score change since Pisa 2022 in brackets.
Science:
1. Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China), 597 points (no result for 2022)
2. Singapore, 560 points (–2)
3. Macau (China), 541 points (–2)
12. Finland, 504 points (–7)
25. Sweden, 485 points (–8)
OECD average: 484 points (–3)
31. Denmark, 478 points (–16)
36. Norway, 470 points (–8)
45. Iceland, 441 points (–6)
Mathematics:
1. Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (China), 612 points (no result for 2022)
2. Singapore, 563 points (–12)
3. Macau (China), 549 points (–3)
20. Denmark, 471 points (–19)
23. Finland, 469 points (–15)
OECD average: 465 points (–9)
25. Sweden, 464 points (–18)
38. Norway, 452 points (–17)
39. Iceland, 450 points (–9)
Source: OECD
PISA stands for Programme for International Student Assessment.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has overall responsibility for the PISA assessments. The Swedish National Agency for Education is responsible for the Swedish implementation and the Swedish report.
PISA is conducted every three years, and the results are published the following year. Previously, the publication took place in December, this year for the first time in September. From now on, PISA will be conducted every four years.
PISA measures the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in three areas: reading comprehension, mathematics and science. In PISA 2025, science is the main subject.
The students who completed PISA 2025 were born in 2009.
Sources: OECD and Swedish National Agency for Education
