Countries by Reading Skills

What Reading Skills Measures

Average student reading assessment score, from OECD How's Life / Well-Being.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Reading Skills 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 408.67 Points (Colombia) to 516.01 Points (Ireland) — minimal difference across 38 countries.

Regional Patterns

European countries dominate this ranking, holding 14 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 468.54 Points to 490.22 Points. The overall spread from 408.67 Points to 516.01 Points reflects significant global variation.

Notable Outliers

The top of the ranking is competitive: Ireland and Japan are separated by only 0%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.

Continental Leaders

Europe

Ireland

516.01 Points

Asia

Japan

515.85 Points

North America

Canada

507.13 Points

Oceania

New Zealand

500.85 Points

South America

Chile

447.98 Points