Student performance in Science in Japan
In 2025, the average PISA Science score for 15-year-olds in Japan was 538 points, down from 547 points in 2022. This gives Japan the 2nd-highest among G20 countries, and the 5th-highest globally (out of 88 economies with available data).
Student performance in Science
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Japan
How Japan compares
About this indicator
This indicator measures the average PISA Science score for 15-year-olds. The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses how well students near the end of compulsory schooling can use their knowledge and skills in contexts relevant to further learning, work and participation in society. In PISA, science literacy is defined as students' capacity to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen, and to use them for informed decision making. A scientifically proficient person is willing to engage in reasoned discourse about science and technology, which requires the competencies to explain phenomena scientifically, evaluate and design scientific enquiry, and interpret data and evidence scientifically. Scores are expressed in points on a common international scale.
Sources and updates
Data sources
The data for this indicator are drawn from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) database.
Last update
This indicator was last updated on Econorama on 22 Sept. 2026 and reflects the latest data available from the underlying sources at that time.
More on Japan
Education
Student performance in Mathematics
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Rank5th of 88
Student performance in Reading
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Rank4th of 88
Student performance in Computational Problem Solving
Average score of 15-year-olds in the PISA assessment
Rank4th of 84
Tertiary-educated adults
Share of 25-64 year-olds with tertiary education
Rank4th of 47
Education spending per student
Primary to tertiary spending per student, in constant international dollars
Rank20th of 42
Teachers' salaries
Primary teachers' gross salaries after 15 years of experience, in international US dollars
Rank18th of 39
Economic activity
Population & Demographics
Health
Public Finance
Government debt (% of GDP)
Gross debt of the general government
Rank2nd of 190
Public debt per capita
Gross debt of the general government, in current international dollars
Rank2nd of 191
Government budget balance (% of GDP)
Positive values indicate a surplus; negative values indicate a deficit
Rank53rd of 194