Average reading literacy, mathematics literacy, science literacy, and problem-solving scores of 15-year-olds, by sex and country: 2003

Digest of Education Statistics: 2004

NCES 2006-005
October 2005

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Table 399.

Average reading literacy, mathematics literacy, science literacy, and problem-solving scores of 15-year-olds, by sex and country: 2003

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                        |     Mathematics literacy   |       Reading literacy    |        Science literacy    |        Problem solving
Country                 |____________________________|___________________________|____________________________|____________________________
                        |   Total|     Male|   Female|   Total|    Male|   Female|   Total|     Male|   Female|   Total|     Male|   Female
________________________|________|_________|_________|________|________|_________|________|_________|_________|________|_________|_________
1                       |       2|        3|        4|       5|       6|        7|       8|        9|       10|      11|       12|       13
________________________|________|_________|_________|________|________|_________|________|_________|_________|________|_________|_________
   OECD total\1\ .......|489(1.1)|494 (1.3)|484 (1.3)|488(1.2)|472(1.4)|503 (1.3)|496(1.1)|499 (1.3)|493 (1.3)|490(1.2)|489 (1.4)|490 (1.3)
   OECD average\2\ .....|500(0.6)|506 (0.8)|494 (0.8)|494(0.6)|477(0.7)|511 (0.7)|500(0.6)|503 (0.7)|497 (0.8)|500(0.6)|499 (0.8)|501 (0.8)
                        |________|_________|_________|________|________|_________|________|_________|_________|________|_________|_________
Australia ..............|524(2.1)|527 (3.0)|522 (2.7)|525(2.1)|506(2.8)|545 (2.6)|525(2.1)|525 (2.9)|525 (2.8)|530(2.0)|527 (2.7)|533 (2.5)
Austria ................|506(3.3)|509 (4.0)|502 (4.0)|491(3.8)|467(4.5)|514 (4.2)|491(3.4)|490 (4.3)|492 (4.2)|506(3.2)|505 (3.9)|508 (3.8)
Belgium ................|529(2.3)|533 (3.4)|525 (3.2)|507(2.6)|489(3.8)|526 (3.3)|509(2.5)|509 (3.6)|509 (3.5)|525(2.2)|524 (3.1)|527 (3.2)
Canada .................|532(1.8)|541 (2.1)|530 (1.9)|528(1.7)|514(2.0)|546 (1.8)|519(2.0)|527 (2.3)|516 (2.2)|529(1.7)|533 (2.0)|532 (1.8)
Czech Republic .........|516(3.5)|524 (4.3)|509 (4.4)|489(3.5)|473(4.1)|504 (4.4)|523(3.4)|526 (4.3)|520 (4.1)|516(3.4)|520 (4.1)|513 (4.3)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
Denmark ................|514(2.7)|523 (3.4)|506 (3.0)|492(2.8)|479(3.3)|505 (3.0)|475(3.0)|484 (3.6)|467 (3.2)|517(2.5)|519 (3.1)|514 (2.9)
Finland ................|544(1.9)|548 (2.5)|541 (2.1)|543(1.6)|521(2.2)|565 (2.0)|548(1.9)|545 (2.6)|551 (2.2)|548(1.9)|543 (2.5)|553 (2.2)
France .................|511(2.5)|515 (3.6)|507 (2.9)|496(2.7)|476(3.8)|514 (3.2)|511(3.0)|511 (4.1)|511 (3.5)|519(2.7)|519 (3.8)|520 (2.9)
Germany ................|503(3.3)|508 (4.0)|499 (3.9)|491(3.4)|471(4.2)|513 (3.9)|502(3.6)|506 (4.5)|500 (4.2)|513(3.2)|511 (3.9)|517 (3.7)
Greece .................|445(3.9)|455 (4.8)|436 (3.8)|472(4.1)|453(5.1)|490 (4.0)|481(3.8)|487 (4.8)|475 (3.9)|449(4.0)|449 (4.9)|448 (4.1)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
Hungary ................|490(2.8)|494 (3.3)|486 (3.3)|482(2.5)|467(3.2)|498 (3.0)|503(2.8)|503 (3.3)|504 (3.3)|501(2.9)|499 (3.4)|503 (3.4)
Iceland ................|515(1.4)|508 (2.3)|523 (2.2)|492(1.6)|464(2.3)|522 (2.2)|495(1.5)|490 (2.4)|500 (2.4)|505(1.4)|490 (2.2)|520 (2.5)
Ireland ................|503(2.4)|510 (3.0)|495 (3.4)|515(2.6)|501(3.3)|530 (3.7)|505(2.7)|506 (3.1)|504 (3.9)|498(2.3)|499 (2.8)|498 (3.5)
Italy ..................|466(3.1)|475 (4.6)|457 (3.8)|476(3.0)|455(5.1)|495 (3.4)|486(3.1)|490 (5.2)|484 (3.6)|470(3.1)|467 (5.0)|471 (3.5)
Japan ..................|534(4.0)|539 (5.8)|530 (4.0)|498(3.9)|487(5.5)|509 (4.1)|548(4.1)|550 (6.0)|546 (4.1)|547(4.1)|546 (5.7)|548 (4.1)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
Korea, Republic of .....|542(3.2)|552 (4.4)|528 (5.3)|534(3.1)|525(3.7)|547 (4.3)|538(3.5)|546 (4.7)|527 (5.5)|550(3.1)|554 (4.0)|546 (4.8)
Luxembourg .............|493(1.0)|502 (1.9)|485 (1.5)|479(1.5)|463(2.6)|496 (1.8)|483(1.5)|489 (2.5)|477 (1.9)|494(1.4)|495 (2.4)|492 (1.9)
Mexico .................|385(3.6)|391 (4.3)|380 (4.1)|400(4.1)|389(4.6)|410 (4.6)|405(3.5)|410 (3.9)|400 (4.2)|384(4.3)|387 (5.0)|382 (4.7)
Netherlands ............|538(3.1)|540 (4.1)|535 (3.5)|513(2.9)|503(3.7)|524 (3.2)|524(3.1)|527 (4.2)|522 (3.6)|520(3.0)|522 (3.6)|518 (3.6)
New Zealand ............|523(2.3)|531 (2.8)|516 (3.2)|522(2.5)|508(3.1)|535 (3.3)|521(2.4)|529 (3.0)|513 (3.4)|533(2.2)|531 (2.6)|534 (3.1)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
Norway .................|495(2.4)|498 (2.8)|492 (2.9)|500(2.8)|475(3.4)|525 (3.4)|484(2.9)|485 (3.5)|483 (3.3)|490(2.6)|486 (3.1)|494 (3.2)
Poland .................|490(2.5)|493 (3.0)|487 (2.9)|497(2.9)|477(3.6)|516 (3.2)|498(2.9)|501 (3.2)|494 (3.4)|487(2.8)|486 (3.4)|487 (3.0)
Portugal ...............|466(3.4)|472 (4.2)|460 (3.4)|478(3.7)|459(4.3)|495 (3.7)|468(3.5)|471 (4.0)|465 (3.6)|470(3.9)|470 (4.6)|470 (3.9)
Slovak Republic ........|498(3.3)|507 (3.9)|489 (3.6)|469(3.1)|453(3.8)|486 (3.3)|495(3.7)|502 (4.3)|487 (3.9)|492(3.4)|495 (4.1)|488 (3.6)
Spain ..................|485(2.4)|490 (3.4)|481 (2.2)|481(2.6)|461(3.8)|500 (2.5)|487(2.6)|489 (3.9)|485 (2.6)|482(2.7)|479 (3.6)|485 (2.6)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
Sweden .................|509(2.6)|512 (3.0)|506 (3.1)|514(2.4)|496(2.8)|533 (2.9)|506(2.7)|509 (3.1)|504 (3.5)|509(2.4)|504 (3.0)|514 (2.8)
Switzerland ............|527(3.4)|535 (4.7)|518 (3.6)|499(3.3)|482(4.4)|517 (3.1)|513(3.7)|518 (5.0)|508 (3.9)|521(3.0)|520 (4.0)|523 (3.3)
Turkey .................|423(6.7)|430 (7.9)|415 (6.7)|441(5.8)|426(6.8)|459 (6.1)|434(5.9)|434 (6.7)|434 (6.4)|408(6.0)|408 (7.3)|406 (5.8)
United Kingdom\3\ ......|508(2.4)|512 (2.9)|505 (3.9)|507(2.5)|492(3.1)|520 (3.6)|518(2.5)|520 (3.1)|517 (4.0)|510(2.4)|506 (3.0)|514 (3.5)
United States ..........|483(2.9)|486 (3.3)|480 (3.2)|495(3.2)|479(3.7)|511 (3.5)|491(3.1)|494 (3.5)|489 (3.5)|477(3.1)|477 (3.4)|478 (3.5)
                        |========|=========|=========|========|========|=========|========|=========|=========|========|=========|=========
Non-OECD countries      |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
  Brazil ...............|356(4.8)|365 (6.1)|348 (4.4)|403(4.6)|384(5.8)|419 (4.1)|390(4.3)|393 (5.3)|387 (4.3)|371(4.8)|374 (6.0)|368 (4.3)
  Hong Kong-China ......|550(4.5)|552 (6.5)|548 (4.6)|510(3.7)|494(5.3)|525 (3.5)|539(4.3)|538 (6.1)|541 (4.2)|548(4.2)|545 (6.2)|550 (4.0)
  Indonesia ............|360(3.9)|362 (3.9)|358 (4.6)|382(3.4)|369(3.4)|394 (3.9)|395(3.2)|396 (3.1)|394 (3.8)|361(3.3)|358 (3.1)|365 (4.0)
  Latvia ...............|483(3.7)|485 (4.8)|482 (3.6)|491(3.7)|470(4.5)|509 (3.7)|489(3.9)|487 (5.1)|491 (3.9)|483(3.9)|481 (5.1)|484 (4.0)
  Liechtenstein ........|536(4.1)|550 (7.2)|521 (6.3)|525(3.6)|517(7.2)|534 (6.5)|525(4.3)|538 (7.7)|512 (7.3)|529(3.9)|535 (6.6)|524 (5.9)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
  Macao-China ..........|527(2.9)|538 (4.8)|517 (3.3)|498(2.2)|491(3.6)|504 (2.8)|525(3.0)|529 (5.0)|521 (4.0)|532(2.5)|538 (4.3)|527 (3.2)
  Russian Federation ...|468(4.2)|473 (5.3)|463 (4.2)|442(3.9)|428(4.7)|456 (3.7)|489(4.1)|494 (5.3)|485 (4.0)|479(4.6)|480 (5.9)|477 (4.4)
  Serbia and Montenegro |437(3.8)|437 (4.2)|436 (4.5)|412(3.6)|390(3.7)|433 (3.9)|436(3.5)|434 (3.7)|439 (4.2)|420(3.3)|416 (3.8)|424 (3.9)
  Thailand .............|417(3.0)|415 (4.0)|419 (3.4)|420(2.8)|396(3.7)|439 (3.0)|429(2.7)|425 (3.7)|433 (3.1)|425(2.7)|418 (3.9)|431 (3.1)
  Tunisia ..............|359(2.5)|365 (2.7)|353 (2.9)|375(2.8)|362(3.3)|387 (3.3)|385(2.6)|380 (2.7)|390 (3.0)|345(2.1)|346 (2.5)|343 (2.5)
                        |        |         |         |        |        |         |        |         |         |        |         |
  Uruguay ..............|422(3.3)|428 (4.0)|416 (3.8)|434(3.4)|414(4.5)|453 (3.7)|438(2.9)|441 (3.7)|436 (3.6)|411(3.7)|412 (4.6)|409 (4.2)
________________________|________|_________|_________|________|________|_________|________|_________|_________|________|_________|_________

\1\Illustrates how a country compares with the OECD area as a whole. Computed taking the OECD countries as a single entity, to which each country contributes in proportion to the number of 15-year-olds enrolled in its schools.
\2\Refers to the mean of the data values for all OECD countries, to which each country contributes equally, regardless of the absolute size of the student population of each country.
\3\Response rate is too low to ensure comparability with other countries.

NOTE: Scales were designed to have an average score of 500 points and standard deviation of 100. Possible scores range from 0 to 1000. Standard errors appear in parentheses.

SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2003, Learning for Tomorrow's World, 2003, and Problem Solving for Tomorrow's World, 2003; U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, PISA, 2003, International Outcomes of Learning in Mathematics Literacy and Problem Solving, 2003. (This table was prepared March 2005.)

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