Low achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics or science by sex by country

Countries reporting
49
Highest
73.9%
Albania
Lowest
12.0%
Japan
Median
27.3%
Years covered
20
2003–2022
Data points
323

What the numbers show

Low achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics or science by sex is currently reported for 49 countries. The highest value is 73.9% in Albania; the lowest is 12.0% in Japan.

The median across all reporting countries is 27.3%, and the mean is 29.0%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 6.

Over the past decade 44 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Finland (up 102.4%), and the largest decrease in Russia (down 24.5%).

Low achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics or science by sex: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Albania 73.9% 2022 up 21.7% flat
2 Montenegro 59.5% 2022 up 5.1% falling
3 Bulgaria 53.6% 2022 up 22.4% flat
4 Romania 48.6% 2022 up 19.1% falling
5 Greece 47.2% 2022 up 32.2% rising
6 Serbia 43.1% 2022 up 10.8% flat
7 Türkiye 38.7% 2022 down 7.9% falling
8 Iceland 34.1% 2022 up 58.6% rising
9 United States 33.9% 2022 up 31.4% rising
9 United States 33.9% 2022 up 31.4% rising
11 Slovakia 33.2% 2022 up 20.7% rising
11 Slovakia 33.2% 2022 up 20.7% rising
13 Croatia 32.9% 2022 up 10.0% rising
13 Croatia 32.9% 2022 up 10.0% rising
15 Norway 31.5% 2022 up 41.3% rising
16 Portugal 29.7% 2022 up 19.3% falling
17 Italy 29.6% 2022 up 19.8% falling
18 Hungary 29.5% 2022 up 5.0% rising
18 Germany 29.5% 2022 up 66.7% rising
20 France 28.8% 2022 up 28.6% rising
21 Lithuania 27.8% 2022 up 6.9% rising
21 Lithuania 27.8% 2022 up 6.9% rising
23 Netherlands 27.4% 2022 up 85.1% rising
23 Netherlands 27.4% 2022 up 85.1% rising
25 Spain 27.3% 2022 up 15.7% rising
26 Luxembourg 27.2% 2018 up 13.8% rising
26 Sweden 27.2% 2022 up 0.4% rising
28 Czechia 25.5% 2022 up 21.4% rising
29 Belgium 25.0% 2022 up 31.6% rising
30 Austria 24.9% 2022 up 33.2% rising
30 Finland 24.9% 2022 up 102.4% rising
32 Slovenia 24.6% 2022 up 22.4% rising
32 Slovenia 24.6% 2022 up 22.4% rising
34 Poland 23.0% 2022 up 59.7% falling
34 Poland 23.0% 2022 up 59.7% falling
36 Latvia 22.2% 2022 up 11.6% falling
36 Latvia 22.2% 2022 up 11.6% falling
38 Russia 21.6% 2018 down 24.5% falling
38 Russia 21.6% 2018 down 24.5% falling
40 Denmark 20.4% 2022 up 21.4% rising
41 United Kingdom 19.2% 2018 down 5.0% flat
41 United Kingdom 19.2% 2018 down 5.0% flat
43 Ireland 19.0% 2022 up 12.4% flat
44 Switzerland 16.8% 2018 up 24.4% rising
45 Estonia 15.0% 2022 up 42.9% rising
45 Estonia 15.0% 2022 up 42.9% rising
45 South Korea 15.0% 2018 up 85.2% rising
45 South Korea 15.0% 2018 up 85.2% rising
49 Japan 12.0% 2022 up 8.1% falling

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Low achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics or science by sex by country. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/low-achieving-15-year-olds-in-reading-mathematics-or-science-by-sex/

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About this data

Indicator
Low achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics or science by sex
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
50 places, 323 data points, 2003–2022
Last refreshed