Pupils getting worse at reading, maths and science, PISA study shows

Pupils’ maths and reading skills are declining across the globe, largely due to digitalisation and a drop in recreational reading.

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The OECD’s latest PISA report, which measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics, and science skills, found that student performance across OECD countries reached a record low in maths and reading.

When looking at EU countries specifically, pupils in Spain, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, Greece, Romania, Cyprus, and Bulgaria score below the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science skills.

Only Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Austria, Poland and Czechia managed to secure a mean performance above the average.

Reading recorded the steepest decline, with scores falling by 28 points across OECD members between 2015 and 2025, with pupils from wealthy families being the ones who fell furthest behind.

Some of the reasons for the decline are related to increased digitalisation, longer screen time and falling rates of reading for enjoyment.

“Most troubling is the decline in the very skills that matter most in the AI age: evaluating information, making connections across multiple sources and thinking critically about what we read,” the report stated.

“In turn, the share of ‘hasty readers’ – students who rush through texts and give quick but incorrect answers – almost doubled between 2018 and 2025. In a world increasingly flooded with information, our students are less likely to think deeply and separate signal from noise.”

In 2025, seven EU countries had a mean performance significantly above the OECD average, while 13 member states had a mean performance considerably below.

Countries with the largest declines in reading also tended to record the largest drops in mathematics and science.

In fact, mathematics followed, with a drop of 22 points over the past decade. This is equivalent to just over one year of learning.

Last year, 11 EU countries had a noticeable mean performance above the OECD average, compared to nine member states with a mean performance significantly below.

Science, however, has been comparatively resilient over the past decade, registering the smallest fall.

Only eight EU countries had 15-year-old students scoring above the OECD average, while 10 EU countries had a mean performance below the average.

Is the inequality gap in education closing?

The report also states the world is no longer divided into rich countries with great schools and poor countries with weak ones.

“Between 2022 and 2025, the narrowing of socio-economic gaps largely reflected declines among advantaged students rather than improvements among disadvantaged students,” the PISA report noted.

In science, disadvantaged students’ performance in all OECD countries remained stable while advantaged students’ performance declined by eight points.

Meanwhile, in reading, disadvantaged students’ performance declined by four points, compared with a 20-point decline among advantaged students.

Finally, in maths, advantaged students’ performance declined by 14 points, while the change among disadvantaged students was not statistically significant.

For instance, Luxembourg is by far the biggest spender on education, expending around €248,479, but it posted lower average science scores than Ireland, France and Italy, all of which invested less than half that amount per student.

“The most successful education systems focus on fewer areas in greater depth, invest in teachers, engage parents and provide targeted support for the students and schools that need it the most,” said OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.

“Technology and AI can strengthen learning and help prepare young people for the future, but only when used purposefully and not as a substitute for attention, effort and understanding.”