PISA student performance in Finland 2000-2022, by subject and score
In the PISA test 2022, Finnish students performed well above the OECD average in reading, mathematics, and science knowledge. Finnish students scored 490 points in reading, 484 points in mathematics, and 511 in science.
OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study that evaluates educational systems in selected countries by assessing student performance in reading, mathematics, and science. It was conducted for the first time in 2000 and then repeated every three years.
Finnish PISA success
Finland has been among the top-ranking countries in all PISA tests since 2000, but in recent years the Nordic country has shown decline in performance. The downward trend of Finland's mean score continued in 2022. While the ranking in science literacy remained at its previous level, reading and mathematical literacy performance declined. Meanwhile, Estonia has surpassed Finland in the PISA ranking as the European leader.
Large gender gap in reading skills
Finnish students continued to perform well in reading literacy, but the difference in reading skills of girls and boys has been one of the widest in the participating countries. Another worrying trend has been the increasing influence of socio-economic background on learning outcomes. In particular, the number of poor-performing readers in the lowest socioeconomic quarter has been on the rise, while the results of the highest socioeconomic groups have remained the same.