Have you ever asked yourself which are the best educated countries in the world?

Every three years, a worldwide test is given to evaluate the reading, math and science skills of 15-year-old students. This test is administered through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) programme.

From these data, it is possible to see in which nations the education systems used to train students work best.

The best international education

There are several tools through which the quality of education enjoyed by countries can be measured. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, developed by the OECD , are one of the best methods for assessing the best educated countries in the world.

In this article we will see which are the countries with the best education in the world, what the PISA tests consist of as a method of measuring the best education at a global level, and finally we will review some curiosities.

Best educated countries in the world

The last report produced by the OECD, through the so-called PISA tests, was conducted in 2018 (it should be noted that these tests are conducted every 3 years), and established the following ranking of the countries with the highest education, according to the three skills: reading, mathematics and science.

1. China

China leads the ranking in the three specialities; reading, mathematics and science.

2. Singapore

This other Asian country that appears in the ranking holds the position in all three specialties.

3. Macao

Macau is an autonomous region on the southern coast of China , and also occupies the position, in this case third in the ranking, in the three specialties.

4. Hong Kong and Estonia

In fourth position, Hong Kong excels in reading and mathematics. In science, fourth position is held by the first non-Asian and European country: Estonia.

5. Estonia, Taiwan and Japan

The European country of Estonia is still ranked – at the level of fifth – in terms of reading ability. In terms of math skills, it is ranked in Taiwan, and Japan ranks fifth in science skills.

6. Finland and Japan

The second European country on the list is Finland. Finland is ranked sixth in the world’s best educated countries in terms of reading and science skills . Japan, occupies this same position in terms of mathematical skills.

7. Canada and South Korea

The first American country to appear in the ranking is Canada . It holds the seventh place for reading ability, worldwide. South Korea holds the sixth position for math and science skills.

8. Ireland, Estonia and Canada

The next European country to appear on the list of the world’s best educated is Ireland, as the eighth best country in the world for reading education.

Estonia ranks eighth best in the world for mathematics education, and Canada eighth best in the world for science education.

9. South Korea, the Netherlands and Hong Kong

South Korea has the ninth best education ranking in the world in reading , the Netherlands in mathematics and Hong Kong in science.

10. Poland and Taiwan

Poland ranks tenth in the world for the best education in letters and mathematics. Taiwan, remains the tenth best country to study science.

The PISA tests

Here we have seen the first 10 positions of this ranking of the best educated countries in the world because they are more relevant. However, the list is much longer and classifies all the countries that have taken the PISA tests .

As can be seen, Asian countries predominate, where their culture of effort, dedication and the value of knowledge is widely known.

On the other hand, the PISA tests consist of standardized exams that, since 2000, are carried out every three years in different countries of the world. In these tests, secondary school students (15 years of age) are assessed in the areas of reading, mathematics and science .

The objective of these PISA tests is to provide comparable data and information which, in addition to producing a world ranking, aims to develop improvements in education policies, given that these tests evaluate the country’s education system, not each individual student.

Curiosities of the PISA tests

Here’s some fun facts about PISA testing:

1. Pre-application

The final PISA report, which is produced through the tests, is carried out in the countries where their government and educational institutions have requested it .

2. Age requirement

The exams are taken only by students who are 15 years old, regardless of their school level.

3. Type of problems

The exams to be solved are posed with problems contextualized in relevant social or cultural aspects .

4. Avoidance of bias

When evaluating these three specific areas: reading, mathematics and science, the idea is not to consider any other variable student aptitude in order to avoid bias in the results.

5. What is evaluated?

The areas evaluated are considered to be relevant to the personal, social and economic well-being of a country. Therefore, does not measure the capacity to retain data, but rather aims to evaluate the critical thinking of the student , as well as the abilities to understand and solve problems based on solid and basic knowledge, supposedly taught in schools and institutes.

The secrets of the best education in the world

Behind these results, there are a number of data that are present and worthy of analysis. The history of each country greatly influences the type of education (and of course learning by students) that takes place in the classrooms.

For example, Estonia, the first European country to appear on the list, is considered a young country, as it was not until 1917 that it obtained its autonomy from other nations, mainly Sweden and Russia. In this country, literature and culture are appreciated.

Another important data is that related to the investments of the governments in education, as well as an efficient use of money. Valued, well-paid and satisfied teachers are also often key elements.

The teaching methods themselves also carry weight, as does knowing how to transmit knowledge and love for it.
In any case, the synthesis of these data would be that a good education will always be key to the advancement and development of a society, whether on a social, technological, scientific or even human level.

Bibliographic references:

  • OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary.