The 2025 results of the PISA study, conducted every three years by the OECD to measure the performance of students aged 15 who are enrolled in formal education in science, reading and mathematics, have been released. A total of 91 countries took part in the study.
Türkiye recorded the largest score increase among OECD countries and also made gains in science, the main focus area of this year’s study. Türkiye’s science score increased by 18 points compared with 2022 and by 26 points compared with 2018.
Türkiye exceeded the OECD average in science
In science, the OECD average in PISA 2025 was 482 points, while the average for all countries was 443. Türkiye, with 494 points, ranked above both averages.
Türkiye not only closed the score gap with OECD countries in science but also turned it into a 12-point advantage. Türkiye was therefore among the countries that recorded a steady improvement in science performance.
A 52-point gap in reading
While the averages for OECD countries and all countries declined in reading, Türkiye’s score increased by 16 points compared with 2022. Türkiye scored 472 points in this area, compared with an OECD average of 461 and an average of 420 for all countries.
Türkiye was 21 points below the OECD country average in 2018, but closed that gap and moved 11 points ahead in PISA 2025. The gap between Türkiye and the average for all countries also grew from 13 points in 2018 to 52 points in 2025.
Mathematics score rose to 462
Türkiye’s average mathematics score increased by 9 points compared with 2022. In PISA 2025, the OECD average was 463 points and the average for all countries was 429, while Türkiye reached 462 points.
Türkiye matched the OECD average in mathematics and exceeded the average for all countries by 33 points. While the average scores for OECD countries and all countries declined, Türkiye’s score increase helped close the gap in this area.
Share of high-performing students increased
The share of students in Türkiye demonstrating high performance in science rose from 4 percent in 2022 to 7.4 percent in 2025. This exceeded the OECD average of 7.2 percent.
The share of high-performing students increased from 1.9 percent to 4.2 percent in reading and from 5.4 percent to 7.9 percent in mathematics. In 2025, Türkiye increased the share of students reaching the minimum performance level in all three areas.
The share of students demonstrating both minimum and high performance in science, reading and mathematics reached the highest level in Türkiye’s PISA history.
Learning environments and education personnel indicators
According to PISA data, indicators for physical and social learning environments in Türkiye were better than the OECD average. The report assessed that steps taken since 2003 to promote equal opportunities in education and improve learning environments contributed to this result.
Türkiye also recorded higher-than-OECD-average rates of improvement in education personnel shortages and personnel quality. Problems related to insufficient education personnel and personnel quality were found to have a less negative impact on education in Türkiye than in the OECD.
