Countries by Math Score Gap
Complete ranking of 38 countries • Factor of lowest scores decile • Updated 2026
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About Math Score Gap Rankings
Israel leads all 38 countries in Math Score Gap with a value of 1.88 Factor of lowest scores decile, while Ireland ranks last at 1.54 Factor of lowest scores decile. The gap between top and bottom reflects meaningful global variation.
What Math Score Gap Measures
Gap between higher and lower student math scores, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Math Score Gap across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 1.54 Factor of lowest scores decile (Ireland) to 1.88 Factor of lowest scores decile (Israel) — minimal difference across 38 countries.
Regional Patterns
European countries dominate this ranking, holding 15 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 1.63 Factor of lowest scores decile to 1.71 Factor of lowest scores decile. The overall spread from 1.54 Factor of lowest scores decile to 1.88 Factor of lowest scores decile reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
The top of the ranking is competitive: Israel and Netherlands are separated by only 4%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.
Continental Leaders
Highest Math Score Gap
The 5 strongest Math Score Gap reads.
Lowest Math Score Gap
The 5 lowest Math Score Gap reads.
Data Note
Rankings are based on the latest available data from OECD How's Life / Well-Being, covering 38 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.
Top 10 Countries
Country Ladder
| Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Israel | 1.9 vs bottom 10% | Asia | 100% |
| 2nd | Netherlands | 1.8 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 97% |
| 3rd | Slovakia | 1.8 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 95% |
| 4th | New Zealand | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Oceania | 92% |
| 5th | Luxembourg | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 89% |
| 6th | Australia | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Oceania | 87% |
| 7th | United States | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | North America | 84% |
| 8th | Hungary | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 82% |
| 9th | Germany | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 79% |
| 10th | Belgium | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 76% |
| 11th | Norway | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 74% |
| 12th | Sweden | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 71% |
| 13th | South Korea | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Asia | 68% |
| 14th | Turkey | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 66% |
| 15th | United Kingdom | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 63% |
| 16th | Austria | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 61% |
| 17th | France | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 58% |
| 18th | Czechia | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 55% |
| 19th | Iceland | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 53% |
| 20th | Switzerland | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 50% |
| 21st | Greece | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 47% |
| 22nd | Portugal | 1.7 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 45% |
| 23rd | Italy | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 42% |
| 24th | Canada | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | North America | 39% |
| 25th | Finland | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 37% |
| 26th | Colombia | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | North America | 34% |
| 27th | Slovenia | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 32% |
| 28th | Poland | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 29% |
| 29th | Chile | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | South America | 26% |
| 30th | Spain | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 24% |
| 31st | Lithuania | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 21% |
| 32nd | Japan | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Asia | 18% |
| 33rd | Mexico | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | North America | 16% |
| 34th | Denmark | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 13% |
| 35th | Costa Rica | 1.6 vs bottom 10% | North America | 11% |
| 36th | Estonia | 1.5 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 8% |
| 37th | Latvia | 1.5 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 5% |
| 38th | Ireland | 1.5 vs bottom 10% | Europe | 3% |