Skip Navigation
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Menu
Contact
Tools
ED.gov
Newsflash
Search IES
Skip Navigation
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Menu
Contact
Tools
ED.gov
Newsflash
Search IES
Back to PISA 2012 Results

Mathematics Literacy: Average Scores

Content Subscales

Excel File Excel Download

Table M5. Average scores of 15-year-old students on PISA mathematics literacy content subscales, by education system: 2012
Quantity   Uncertainty and data   Change and relationships   Space and shape
Education system Average score s.e.   Education system Average score s.e.   Education system Average score s.e.   Education system Average score s.e.
OECD average 495 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 0.5   OECD average 493   0.5   OECD average 493   0.6   OECD average 490 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 0.5
Shanghai-China 591 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.2   Shanghai-China 592 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.0   Shanghai-China 624 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6   Shanghai-China 649 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6
Singapore 569 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.2   Singapore 559 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.5   Singapore 580 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.5   Chinese Taipei 592 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.8
Hong Kong-China 566 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.4   Hong Kong-China 553 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.0   Hong Kong-China 564 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6   Singapore 580 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.5
Chinese Taipei 543 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.1   Chinese Taipei 549 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.2   Chinese Taipei 561 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5   Korea, Republic of 573 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 5.2
Liechtenstein 538 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.1   Korea, Republic of 538 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.2   Korea, Republic of 559 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 5.2   Hong Kong-China 567 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.0
Korea, Republic of 537 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.1   Netherlands 532 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.8   Macao-China 542 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.2   Macao-China 558 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.4
Netherlands 532 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6   Japan 528 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5   Japan 542 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.0   Japan 558 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.7
Switzerland 531 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.1   Liechtenstein 526 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.9   Liechtenstein 542 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.0   Switzerland 544 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.1
Macao-China 531 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.1   Macao-China 525 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.1   Estonia 530 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.3   Liechtenstein 539 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.5
Finland 527 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.9   Switzerland 522 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.2   Switzerland 530 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.4   Poland 524 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.2
Estonia 525 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.2   Vietnam 519 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.5   Canada 525 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.0   Estonia 513 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5
Belgium 519 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.0   Finland 519 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.4   Finland 520 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6   Canada 510 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.1
Poland 519 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5   Poland 517 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5   Netherlands 518 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.9   Belgium 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.4
Japan 518 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6   Canada 516 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.8   Germany 516 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.8   Netherlands 507 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5
Germany 517 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.1   Estonia 510 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.0   Belgium 513 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6   Germany 507 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.2
Canada 515 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.2   Germany 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.0   Vietnam 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 5.1   Vietnam 507 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 5.1
Austria 510 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.9   Ireland 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5   Poland 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.1   Finland 507 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.1
Vietnam 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 5.5   Belgium 508 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5   Australia 509 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.7   Slovenia 503 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.4
Ireland 505 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6   Australia 508 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.5   Austria 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.4   Austria 501 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.1
Czech Republic 505 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.0   New Zealand 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6   Ireland 501 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6   Czech Republic 499 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.4
Slovenia 504 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.2   Denmark 505 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.4   New Zealand 501 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5   Latvia 497 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.3
Denmark 502 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.4   United Kingdom 502 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.0   Czech Republic 499 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5   Denmark 497 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5
Australia 500 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.9   Austria 499 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.7   Slovenia 499 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.1   Australia 497 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.8
New Zealand 499 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.4   Norway 497   3.0   France 497   2.7   Russian Federation 496 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.9
Iceland 496 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.9   Slovenia 496 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.2   Latvia 496   3.4   Portugal 491 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.2
France 496 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6   Iceland 496   1.8   United Kingdom 496   3.4   New Zealand 491 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.4
Luxembourg 495 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.0   France 492   2.7   Denmark 494   2.7   Slovak Republic 490 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.1
United Kingdom 494 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.8   United States 488   3.5   Russian Federation 491   3.4   France 489 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.7
Norway 492 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.9   Czech Republic 488   2.8   United States 488   3.5   Iceland 489 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.5
Spain 491 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.3   Spain 487   2.3   Luxembourg 488   1.0   Italy 487 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5
Italy 491 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.0   Portugal 486   3.8   Iceland 487   1.9   Luxembourg 486 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.0
Latvia 487   2.9   Luxembourg 483   1.0   Portugal 486   4.1   Norway 480 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.3
Slovak Republic 486   3.5   Sweden 483   2.5   Spain 482   2.0   Ireland 478 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.6
Lithuania 483   2.8   Italy 482   2.0   Hungary 481   3.5   Spain 477 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.0
Sweden 482   2.5   Latvia 478 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.8   Lithuania 479   3.2   United Kingdom 475 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5
Portugal 481   4.0   Hungary 476 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.3   Norway 478 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.1   Hungary 474   3.4
Croatia 480   3.7   Lithuania 474 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.7   Italy 477 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.1   Lithuania 472   3.1
Israel 480   5.2   Slovak Republic 472 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.6   Slovak Republic 474 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.0   Sweden 469   2.5
United States 478   3.9   Croatia 468 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5   Sweden 469 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.8   United States 463   4.0
Russian Federation 478   3.0   Israel 465 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.7   Croatia 468 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.2   Croatia 460   3.9
Hungary 476   3.4   Russian Federation 463 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.3   Israel 462 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 5.3   Kazakhstan 450 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9
Serbia, Republic of 456 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.7   Greece 460 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.6   Turkey 448 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 5.0   Israel 449 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.8
Greece 455 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.0   Serbia, Republic of 448 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.3   Greece 446 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2   Romania 447 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.1
Romania 443 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.5   Turkey 447 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.6   Romania 446 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9   Serbia, Republic of 446 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9
Bulgaria 443 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.3   Cyprus 442 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.1   United Arab Emirates 442 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.6   Turkey 443 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 5.5
Turkey 442 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 5.0   Romania 437 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.3   Serbia, Republic of 442 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.1   Bulgaria 442 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.3
Cyprus 439 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.1   Thailand 433 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.1   Cyprus 440 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.2   Greece 436 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.6
United Arab Emirates 431 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.7   United Arab Emirates 432 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.4   Bulgaria 434 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.5   Cyprus 436 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.1
Kazakhstan 428 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5   Bulgaria 432 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9   Kazakhstan 433 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2   Malaysia 434 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.4
Chile 421 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.3   Chile 430 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.9   Thailand 414 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9   Thailand 432 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.1
Thailand 419 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.7   Malaysia 422 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.0   Chile 411 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5   United Arab Emirates 425 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.4
Mexico 414 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.5   Montenegro, Republic of 415 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.0   Mexico 405 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.6   Chile 419 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2
Uruguay 411 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2   Costa Rica 414 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.9   Costa Rica 402 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5   Albania 418 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.6
Malaysia 409 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.6   Kazakhstan 414 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.6   Uruguay 401 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2   Uruguay 413 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.1
Montenegro, Republic of 409 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.2   Mexico 413 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.2   Malaysia 401 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.0   Mexico 413 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.6
Costa Rica 406 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.6   Uruguay 407 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.7   Montenegro, Republic of 399 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.3   Montenegro, Republic of 412 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.1
Brazil 393 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.5   Brazil 402 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.0   Albania 388 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.1   Costa Rica 397 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2
Argentina 391 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.7   Tunisia 399 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.6   Jordan 387 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.7   Jordan 385 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.1
Albania 386 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.7   Jordan 394 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2   Tunisia 379 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.5   Argentina 385 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5
Tunisia 378 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.6   Argentina 389 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5   Argentina 379 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.2   Indonesia 383 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.2
Colombia 375 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.4   Colombia 388 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.4   Brazil 372 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.7   Tunisia 382 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9
Qatar 371 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 0.9   Albania 386 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.4   Indonesia 364 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.3   Brazil 381 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.0
Jordan 367 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.4   Indonesia 384 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9   Qatar 363 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 0.9   Qatar 380 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.0
Peru 365 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.1   Qatar 382 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 0.8   Colombia 357 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.7   Peru 370 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.1
Indonesia 362 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.7   Peru 373 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.3   Peru 349 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.5   Colombia 369 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5
                                     
U.S. state education systems         U.S. state education systems         U.S. state education systems         U.S. state education systems      
Massachusetts 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 6.0   Massachusetts 523 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 6.4   Massachusetts 518 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 6.7   Massachusetts 498 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 7.2
Connecticut 502 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 6.5   Connecticut 512 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 5.8   Connecticut 515 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 7.0   Connecticut 487 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 7.0
Florida 458 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 6.4   Florida 475 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 5.9   Florida 476   5.6   Florida 446 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 6.4
Average score is higher than U.S. average score Average score is higher than U.S. score.
Average score is lower than U.S. average score Average score is lower than U.S. score.
NOTE: Education systems are ordered by 2012 average subscale score. The OECD average is the average of the national averages of the OECD member countries, with each country weighted equally. Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. All average scores reported as higher or lower than the U.S. average score are different at the05 significance level of statistical significance. Standard error is noted by s.e. Italics indicate non-OECD countries and education systems. Results for Connecticut, Florida, and Massachusetts are for public school students only.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2012.
IES    
NCES
National Center for
Education Statistics
Explore the Institute of Education Sciences