Türkiye posts strongest OECD gains in all 3 subjects in PISA academic rankings

Baku, September 8, AZERTAC Türkiye posted the greatest improvement among OECD countries across all three subjects in the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), raising its scores in science, reading, and mathematics despite declines in average performance across OECD countries and participating countries overall, according to Anadolu Agency. The PISA 2025 results, administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and released simultaneously worldwide, evaluate 15-year-old students enrolled in formal education in science, reading, and mathematics through an assessment done every three years. A total of 91 countries and economies took part in the 2025 cycle. Türkiye has participated in PISA since 2003. The 2025 assessment was done digitally between April 14 and May 16, 2025, with 7,702 Turkish students from 203 schools in 56 provinces across 12 regions taking part. The results showed particularly strong gains in science, which was designated the main subject for the 2025 cycle. Türkiye scored 494 points in science, 18 points higher than in 2022 and 26 points higher than in 2018. The OECD average was 482 points, while the average across all participating countries was 443. Türkiye also narrowed and reversed its previous gap with the OECD average, moving 12 points ahead of the OECD benchmark in science. In reading, Türkiye's average score rose 16 points from 2022 to 472, while the OECD average fell to 461 and the overall participating-country average stood at 420. Türkiye therefore scored above both benchmarks. Türkiye's reading performance also improved substantially over the longer term. In 2018, its score was 21 points below the OECD average; by 2025, it was 11 points above it. The gap between Türkiye's score and the average across all participating countries widened from 13 points in 2018 to 52 points in 2025. Mathematics performance In mathematics, Türkiye boosted its average score by nine points from 2022 to 462. The OECD average was 463, while the average across all participating countries was 429. Türkiye therefore remained above the overall international average and reached the OECD average. The results also showed significant improvements in the share of high-performing students. In science, the proportion of Turkish students performing at the highest levels rose from 4% in 2022 to 7.4% in 2025, surpassing the OECD average of 7.2% for the first time. In reading, the proportion jumped from 1.9% to 4.2%, while in mathematics it rose from 5.4% to 7.9%. Türkiye also raised the proportion of students reaching at least the minimum performance level in all three subjects. The shares of students achieving both minimum and high performance levels reached their highest levels in PISA's history. The country's rankings improved across all three subjects. Among the 91 participating countries and economies, Türkiye ranked 19th in science, up from 34th among 81 participants in 2022, 18th in reading, up from 36th, and 28th in mathematics, up from 39th. Among OECD members, Türkiye rose from 29th to 14th in science, from 30th to 13th in reading, and from 32nd to 23rd in mathematics. Long-term improvement Over the longer term, Türkiye also substantially improved its relative position. Between the 2003 and 2025 PISA assessments, Türkiye's relative ranking position improved 64% in science, 60% in reading, and 52% in mathematics. In 2003, Türkiye ranked 35th in science, 33rd in reading, and 34th in mathematics. The improvement is notable against a broader decline in average OECD performance. Compared with Türkiye's first PISA assessment in 2003, its science score rose from 434 to 494, its reading score from 441 to 472, and its mathematics score from 423 to 462. According to the results, Türkiye was the only OECD member country to increase its scores in all three subjects over the past decade. It was also the OECD country with the largest score increases in all three areas compared with the 2022 assessment. The reports also highlighted improvements in students' physical and social learning environments. According to the assessment, survey data indicated that physical and social learning environments in Türkiye were better than the OECD average. The report also found that improvements in shortages and quality of education personnel in Türkiye were greater than the OECD average. As a result, education in Türkiye was found to be less affected than in OECD countries by shortages and quality-related shortcomings among education personnel. Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said Türkiye's PISA 2025 results were an important indicator of progress in education. In a post on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, he congratulated teachers, students, and the education community. "PISA 2025 results showing that Türkiye is the only OECD country to meaningfully increase its score in all three areas of science, reading and mathematics is an important indicator of the progress we have made in education," Yilmaz said.