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Digest of Education Statistics: 2011
Digest of Education Statistics: 2011

NCES 2012-001
May 2012


Table 416. Average reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy scores of 15-year-old students, by sex and country: 2009
Country or other jurisdiction Reading literacy Mathematics literacy Science literacy
Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
OECD total1 492 (1.2) 475 (1.4) 508 (1.2) 488 (1.2) 496 (1.3) 481 (1.3) 496 (1.2) 498 (1.5) 494 (1.3)
OECD average2 493 (0.5) 474 (0.6) 513 (0.5) 496 (0.5) 501 (0.6) 490 (0.6) 501 (0.5) 501 (0.6) 501 (0.6)
                                     
Australia 515 (2.3) 496 (2.9) 533 (2.6) 514 (2.5) 519 (3.0) 509 (2.8) 527 (2.5) 527 (3.1) 528 (2.8)
Austria 470 (2.9) 449 (3.8) 490 (4.0) 496 (2.7) 506 (3.4) 486 (4.0) 494 (3.2) 498 (4.2) 490 (4.4)
Belgium 506 (2.3) 493 (3.4) 520 (2.9) 515 (2.3) 526 (3.3) 504 (3.0) 507 (2.5) 510 (3.6) 503 (3.2)
Canada 524 (1.5) 507 (1.8) 542 (1.7) 527 (1.6) 533 (2.0) 521 (1.7) 529 (1.6) 531 (1.9) 526 (1.9)
Chile 449 (3.1) 439 (3.9) 461 (3.6) 421 (3.1) 431 (3.7) 410 (3.6) 447 (2.9) 452 (3.5) 443 (3.5)
                                     
Czech Republic 478 (2.9) 456 (3.7) 504 (3.0) 493 (2.8) 495 (3.9) 490 (3.0) 500 (3.0) 498 (4.0) 503 (3.2)
Denmark 495 (2.1) 480 (2.5) 509 (2.5) 503 (2.6) 511 (3.0) 495 (2.9) 499 (2.5) 505 (3.0) 494 (2.9)
Estonia 501 (2.6) 480 (2.9) 524 (2.8) 512 (2.6) 516 (2.9) 508 (2.9) 528 (2.7) 527 (3.1) 528 (3.1)
Finland 536 (2.3) 508 (2.6) 563 (2.4) 541 (2.2) 542 (2.5) 539 (2.5) 554 (2.3) 546 (2.7) 562 (2.6)
France 496 (3.4) 475 (4.3) 515 (3.4) 497 (3.1) 505 (3.8) 489 (3.4) 498 (3.6) 500 (4.6) 497 (3.5)
                                     
Germany 497 (2.7) 478 (3.6) 518 (2.9) 513 (2.9) 520 (3.6) 505 (3.3) 520 (2.8) 523 (3.7) 518 (3.3)
Greece 483 (4.3) 459 (5.5) 506 (3.5) 466 (3.9) 473 (5.4) 459 (3.3) 470 (4.0) 465 (5.1) 475 (3.7)
Hungary 494 (3.2) 475 (3.9) 513 (3.6) 490 (3.5) 496 (4.2) 484 (3.9) 503 (3.1) 503 (3.8) 503 (3.5)
Iceland 500 (1.4) 478 (2.1) 522 (1.9) 507 (1.4) 508 (2.0) 505 (1.9) 496 (1.4) 496 (2.1) 495 (2.0)
Ireland 496 (3.0) 476 (4.2) 515 (3.1) 487 (2.5) 491 (3.4) 483 (3.0) 508 (3.3) 507 (4.3) 509 (3.8)
                                     
Israel 474 (3.6) 452 (5.2) 495 (3.4) 447 (3.3) 451 (4.7) 443 (3.3) 455 (3.1) 453 (4.4) 456 (3.2)
Italy 486 (1.6) 464 (2.3) 510 (1.9) 483 (1.9) 490 (2.3) 475 (2.2) 489 (1.8) 488 (2.5) 490 (2.0)
Japan 520 (3.5) 501 (5.6) 540 (3.7) 529 (3.3) 534 (5.3) 524 (3.9) 539 (3.4) 534 (5.5) 545 (3.9)
Korea, Republic of 539 (3.5) 523 (4.9) 558 (3.8) 546 (4.0) 548 (6.2) 544 (4.5) 538 (3.4) 537 (5.0) 539 (4.2)
Luxembourg 472 (1.3) 453 (1.9) 492 (1.5) 489 (1.2) 499 (2.0) 479 (1.3) 484 (1.2) 487 (2.0) 480 (1.6)
                                     
Mexico 425 (2.0) 413 (2.1) 438 (2.1) 419 (1.8) 425 (2.1) 412 (1.9) 416 (1.8) 419 (2.0) 413 (1.9)
Netherlands 508 (5.1) 496 (5.1) 521 (5.3) 526 (4.7) 534 (4.8) 517 (5.1) 522 (5.4) 524 (5.3) 520 (5.9)
New Zealand 521 (2.4) 499 (3.6) 544 (2.6) 519 (2.3) 523 (3.2) 515 (2.9) 532 (2.6) 529 (4.0) 535 (2.9)
Norway 503 (2.6) 480 (3.0) 527 (2.9) 498 (2.4) 500 (2.7) 495 (2.8) 500 (2.6) 498 (3.0) 502 (2.8)
Poland. 500 (2.6) 476 (2.8) 525 (2.9) 495 (2.8) 497 (3.0) 493 (3.2) 508 (2.4) 505 (2.7) 511 (2.8)
                                     
Portugal 489 (3.1) 470 (3.5) 508 (2.9) 487 (2.9) 493 (3.3) 481 (3.1) 493 (2.9) 491 (3.4) 495 (3.0)
Slovak Republic 477 (2.5) 452 (3.5) 503 (2.8) 497 (3.1) 498 (3.7) 495 (3.4) 490 (3.0) 490 (4.0) 491 (3.2)
Slovenia 483 (1.0) 456 (1.6) 511 (1.4) 501 (1.2) 502 (1.8) 501 (1.7) 512 (1.1) 505 (1.7) 519 (1.6)
Spain 481 (2.0) 467 (2.2) 496 (2.2) 483 (2.1) 493 (2.3) 474 (2.5) 488 (2.1) 492 (2.5) 485 (2.3)
Sweden 497 (2.9) 475 (3.2) 521 (3.1) 494 (2.9) 493 (3.1) 495 (3.3) 495 (2.7) 493 (3.0) 497 (3.2)
                                     
Switzerland 501 (2.4) 481 (2.9) 520 (2.7) 534 (3.3) 544 (3.7) 524 (3.4) 517 (2.8) 520 (3.2) 512 (3.0)
Turkey 464 (3.5) 443 (3.7) 486 (4.1) 445 (4.4) 451 (4.6) 440 (5.6) 454 (3.6) 448 (3.8) 460 (4.5)
United Kingdom 494 (2.3) 481 (3.5) 507 (2.9) 492 (2.4) 503 (3.2) 482 (3.3) 514 (2.5) 519 (3.6) 509 (3.2)
United States 500 (3.7) 488 (4.2) 513 (3.8) 487 (3.6) 497 (4.0) 477 (3.8) 502 (3.6) 509 (4.2) 495 (3.7)
                                     
Reporting partner countries                                    
Albania 385 (4.0) 355 (5.1) 417 (3.9) 377 (4.0) 372 (4.7) 383 (4.2) 391 (3.9) 377 (4.8) 406 (4.0)
Argentina 398 (4.6) 379 (5.1) 415 (4.9) 388 (4.1) 394 (4.5) 383 (4.4) 401 (4.6) 397 (5.1) 404 (4.8)
Azerbaijan 362 (3.3) 350 (3.7) 374 (3.3) 431 (2.8) 435 (3.1) 427 (3.0) 373 (3.1) 370 (3.4) 377 (3.2)
Brazil 412 (2.7) 397 (2.9) 425 (2.8) 386 (2.4) 394 (2.4) 379 (2.6) 405 (2.4) 407 (2.6) 404 (2.6)
Bulgaria 429 (6.7) 400 (7.3) 461 (5.8) 428 (5.9) 426 (6.2) 430 (6.0) 439 (5.9) 430 (6.8) 450 (5.3)
                                     
Colombia 413 (3.7) 408 (4.5) 418 (4.0) 381 (3.2) 398 (4.0) 366 (3.3) 402 (3.6) 413 (4.3) 392 (3.7)
Croatia 476 (2.9) 452 (3.4) 503 (3.7) 460 (3.1) 465 (3.6) 454 (3.9) 486 (2.8) 482 (3.5) 491 (3.9)
Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 459 (1.1) 435 (1.7) 485 (1.5) 453 (1.1) 454 (1.5) 451 (1.6) 466 (1.2) 453 (1.8) 480 (1.6)
Hong Kong-China 533 (2.1) 518 (3.3) 550 (2.8) 555 (2.7) 561 (4.2) 547 (3.4) 549 (2.8) 550 (3.8) 548 (3.4)
Indonesia 402 (3.7) 383 (3.8) 420 (3.9) 371 (3.7) 371 (4.1) 372 (4.0) 383 (3.8) 378 (4.2) 387 (4.0)
                                     
Jordan 405 (3.3) 377 (4.7) 434 (4.1) 387 (3.7) 386 (5.1) 387 (5.2) 415 (3.5) 398 (5.5) 433 (4.2)
Kazakhstan 390 (3.1) 369 (3.2) 412 (3.4) 405 (3.0) 405 (3.1) 405 (3.3) 400 (3.1) 396 (3.4) 405 (3.5)
Kyrgyzstan 314 (3.2) 287 (3.8) 340 (3.2) 331 (2.9) 328 (3.4) 334 (2.8) 330 (2.9) 318 (3.7) 340 (2.9)
Latvia 484 (3.0) 460 (3.4) 507 (3.1) 482 (3.1) 483 (3.5) 481 (3.4) 494 (3.1) 490 (3.7) 497 (3.2)
Liechtenstein 499 (2.8) 484 (4.5) 516 (4.5) 536 (4.1) 547 (5.2) 523 (5.9) 520 (3.4) 527 (5.0) 511 (5.1)
                                     
Lithuania 468 (2.4) 439 (2.8) 498 (2.6) 477 (2.6) 474 (3.1) 480 (3.0) 491 (2.9) 483 (3.5) 500 (2.9)
Macao-China 487 (0.9) 470 (1.3) 504 (1.2) 525 (0.9) 531 (1.3) 520 (1.4) 511 (1.0) 510 (1.3) 512 (1.2)
Montenegro 408 (1.7) 382 (2.1) 434 (2.1) 403 (2.0) 408 (2.2) 396 (2.4) 401 (2.0) 395 (2.4) 408 (2.6)
Panama 371 (6.5) 354 (7.0) 387 (7.3) 360 (5.2) 362 (5.6) 357 (6.1) 376 (5.7) 375 (6.4) 377 (6.6)
Peru 370 (4.0) 359 (4.2) 381 (4.9) 365 (4.0) 374 (4.6) 356 (4.4) 369 (3.5) 372 (3.7) 367 (4.4)
                                     
Qatar 372 (0.8) 347 (1.3) 397 (1.0) 368 (0.7) 366 (1.2) 371 (1.0) 379 (0.9) 366 (1.4) 393 (1.0)
Romania 424 (4.1) 403 (4.6) 445 (4.3) 427 (3.4) 429 (3.9) 425 (3.8) 428 (3.4) 423 (3.9) 433 (3.7)
Russian Federation 459 (3.3) 437 (3.6) 482 (3.4) 468 (3.3) 469 (3.7) 467 (3.5) 478 (3.3) 477 (3.7) 480 (3.5)
Serbia 442 (2.4) 422 (3.3) 462 (2.5) 442 (2.9) 448 (3.8) 437 (3.2) 443 (2.4) 442 (3.1) 443 (2.8)
Shanghai-China 556 (2.4) 536 (3.0) 576 (2.3) 600 (2.8) 599 (3.7) 601 (3.1) 575 (2.3) 574 (3.1) 575 (2.3)
                                     
Singapore 526 (1.1) 511 (1.7) 542 (1.5) 562 (1.4) 565 (1.9) 559 (2.0) 542 (1.4) 541 (1.8) 542 (1.8)
Chinese Taipei 495 (2.6) 477 (3.7) 514 (3.6) 543 (3.4) 546 (4.8) 541 (4.8) 520 (2.6) 520 (3.7) 521 (4.0)
Thailand 421 (2.6) 400 (3.3) 438 (3.1) 419 (3.2) 421 (3.9) 417 (3.8) 425 (3.0) 418 (3.8) 431 (3.4)
Trinidad and Tobago 416 (1.2) 387 (1.9) 445 (1.6) 414 (1.3) 410 (2.3) 418 (1.5) 410 (1.2) 401 (2.1) 419 (1.4)
Tunisia 404 (2.9) 387 (3.2) 418 (3.0) 371 (3.0) 378 (3.3) 366 (3.2) 401 (2.7) 401 (2.9) 400 (2.8)
Uruguay 426 (2.6) 404 (3.2) 445 (2.8) 427 (2.6) 433 (3.0) 421 (2.9) 427 (2.6) 427 (3.2) 428 (2.6)
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.
NOTE: PISA scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2009, PISA 2009 Results: What Students Know and Can Do—Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science (Volume I). (This table was prepared December 2010.)