PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 6 by country

Percentage of 15-year-old students scoring higher than 698 on the PISA reading scale. Readers at Level 6 can comprehend lengthy and abstract texts in which the information of interest is deeply embedded and only indirectly related to the task. They can compare, contrast and integrate information representing...

Countries reporting
39
Highest
3.0%
United States
Lowest
0.0%
Uruguay
Median
1.0%
Years covered
19
2000–2018
Data points
349

What the numbers show

PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 6 is currently reported for 39 countries. The highest value is 3.0% in United States; the lowest is 0.0% in Uruguay.

The median across all reporting countries is 1.0%, and the mean is 1.3%.

Over the past decade 13 countries rose and 3 fell. The largest increase was in Estonia (up 200.0%), and the largest decrease in Greece (down 100.0%).

PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 6: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 United States 3.0% 2018 up 50.0% rising
1 Canada 3.0% 2018 up 50.0% flat
1 Australia 3.0% 2018 up 50.0% falling
1 Estonia 3.0% 2018 up 200.0% volatile
5 Japan 2.0% 2018 unchanged volatile
5 South Korea 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% volatile
5 Israel 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% volatile
5 Ireland 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% falling
5 Macao 2.0% 2018 — volatile
5 Hong Kong 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% volatile
5 United Kingdom 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% volatile
5 Norway 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% rising
5 Finland 2.0% 2018 unchanged falling
5 New Zealand 2.0% 2018 down 33.3% falling
5 Poland 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% volatile
5 Germany 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% rising
5 Sweden 2.0% 2018 up 100.0% flat
18 Netherlands 1.0% 2018 unchanged flat
18 Luxembourg 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 Portugal 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 Russia 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 Slovenia 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 Iceland 1.0% 2018 unchanged flat
18 Hungary 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 France 1.0% 2018 unchanged rising
18 Denmark 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 Czechia 1.0% 2018 — volatile
18 Switzerland 1.0% 2018 unchanged flat
18 Belgium 1.0% 2018 unchanged falling
18 Austria 1.0% 2018 — volatile
31 Liechtenstein 0.6% 2012 down 66.2% volatile
32 Italy 0.0% 2018 — volatile
32 Latvia 0.0% 2018 — volatile
32 Croatia 0.0% 2018 — volatile
32 Greece 0.0% 2018 down 100.0% volatile
32 Spain 0.0% 2015 — volatile
32 Bulgaria 0.0% 2018 — volatile
32 Turkey 0.0% 2018 — volatile
32 Uruguay 0.0% 2018 — volatile

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PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 6 by country. Statizoid, drawing on OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/pisa-15-year-olds-by-reading-proficiency-level-percent-level-6/

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About this data

Indicator
PISA: 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 6
Source
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
55 places, 349 data points, 2000–2018
Last refreshed

Percentage of 15-year-old students scoring higher than 698 on the PISA reading scale. Readers at Level 6 can comprehend lengthy and abstract texts in which the information of interest is deeply embedded and only indirectly related to the task. They can compare, contrast and integrate information representing multiple and potentially conflicting perspectives, using multiple criteria and generating inferences across distant pieces of information to determine how the information may be used. Readers at Level 6 can reflect deeply on the text’s source in relation to its content, using criteria external to the text. They can compare and contrast information across texts, identifying and resolving inter-textual discrepancies and conflicts through inferences about the sources of information, their explicit or vested interests, and other cues as to the validity of the information. Tasks at Level 6 typically require the reader to set up elaborate plans, combining multiple criteria and generating inferences to relate the task and the text(s). Materials at this level include one or several complex and abstract text(s), involving multiple and possibly discrepant perspectives. Target information may take the form of details that are deeply embedded within or across texts and potentially obscured by competing information. 2000, 2003, and 2006 PISA assessments used a different reading proficiency scale (Levels 1 to 5) than later assessments. Level 6 data were not available in the 2000/2003/2006 PISA Reports, so these figures were calculated based on the current PISA Reading Proficiency Level 6 (698+). Use caution in comparing proficiency scores across years. For more information on comparability of results, consult the PISA website: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/