Global score drops across Europe and Asia

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released its PISA 2025 report on 8 September 2026, assessing more than 760,000 15-year-old students across 91 participating countries and economies. The findings showed decreases in reading and mathematics averages across the OECD compared to the 2022 testing round. In Spain, France, and Germany, student performance fell to the lowest levels recorded since PISA assessments began in 2000. Spanish reading scores dropped 23 points from 2022 to 451 points, placing students approximately half a school year behind the OECD average. In Germany, one in three students recorded serious reading comprehension difficulties, while France recorded its sharpest drop in mathematics. Singapore and four Chinese regions (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang) led the global tables, though Asian jurisdictions also recorded lower reading scores than in previous cycles. Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Estonia ranked among the few European exceptions that maintained stronger reading performance.

Digital consumption and reading comprehension

OECD researchers pointed to shifts in study habits and device consumption as factors associated with falling reading abilities. Teenagers across OECD member countries spend an average of six hours per day on digital devices during weekdays across school and leisure activities. The proportion of rushed readers, who skim texts without proper comprehension, nearly doubled between 2018 and 2025 to reach 9%. Tiago Caliço, an education analyst at the OECD, noted that students face mounting difficulties when interpreting longer texts and drawing inferences, particularly among higher socioeconomic groups with greater digital access. Caliço emphasized that the study demonstrates statistical correlations rather than direct causation, but warned that rising deficits in reading comprehension present structural risks.

“When we have such a large proportion of students below this minimum threshold, we have, in the medium and long term, a fairly large risk for the development of economies.”

Portuguese results decline to early 2000s levels

In Portugal, testing conducted across 225 schools involving nearly 7,000 students revealed declines in foundational subjects. Portuguese students scored 462 points in reading, representing a drop of 15 points from 2022 and sitting eight points lower than Portugal's score in the year 2000. In mathematics, students scored 460 points, a 12-point decline from 2022 that brought results back near the 466 points registered in 2003. Science scores remained at 482 points, aligning with the OECD average. Education researcher João Marôco observed that Portuguese students have lost 32 points in mathematics and 36 points in reading over the past decade, placing current test takers roughly 1.5 school years behind their 2015 counterparts.

Reading462

Mathematics460

Science482

Reading

462 points

Mathematics

460 points

Science

482 points

Data from the article text

Political debate over educational policy

The release triggered disputes in Lisbon between current and former government officials over educational accountability and curricular rigor. Deputy and Secretary of State for Education Alexandre Homem Cristo stated that the administration, in office since April 2024, bears no responsibility for the results but is committed to reversing the trajectory by 2029. Former education minister Nuno Crato attributed the decline to curricular reforms after 2015 that softened evaluation standards and core learning goals. Former Socialist education minister João Costa acknowledged political responsibility for his eight and a half years in government, while urging international cooperation to address challenges such as generative artificial intelligence and smartphone distraction.

“When someone holds political office, they cannot dismiss responsibilities.”