Singapore Leads Countries with Best Reading Skills: Here's the Top 10
Singapore students lead in reading skills among 91 countries participating in PISA assessment. How do other countries fare in the educational measure?
Singapore's students have emerged as the world's top performers in reading skills, according to the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results. This marks a significant achievement, as the country surpasses China, which placed second in mathematics and science performance. The 2025 PISA assessment, which included over 760,000 15-year-old students from 91 countries, is a widely recognized measure of educational performance, gauging students' ability to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life situations.
The data reveals a concerning trend, with reading scores declining across OECD countries over the past decade. The most recent report indicates a 28-point decrease among OECD students, while other participating nations saw a 16-point drop. The peak of reading performance was reached around 2012, with the majority of students now performing at the level of a 14-year-old.
One notable finding is the rise in "hasty readers," students who quickly skim texts and provide inaccurate answers. This issue has been observed for the past decade, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors contributing to the decline in reading skills include digitalization, increased screen time, and a decrease in reading for enjoyment.
Among the top 10 countries with the best reading skills, Singapore leads with an average score of 535 points, followed by China (527) and Taiwan (508). Other high-scoring nations include Japan (503), Macao (501), South Korea (501), Ireland (500), Estonia (499), New Zealand (497), and the United Kingdom. These countries, with the exception of Singapore, have education systems that generally fall below the OECD average.
Indonesia's reading performance, while below the OECD average at 365 points, shows a slight improvement from the 2022 assessments. However, the country ranks last among Southeast Asian nations, with only Brunei (426) and Malaysia (393) performing better. Despite this, Indonesia demonstrates a relatively stable educational performance and relatively high curiosity levels among its 15-year-old students.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
