Countries by Science Score Gap
Complete ranking of 38 countries • Factor of lowest scores decile • Updated 2026
About Student Science Gap (Top 10% vs Bottom 10%) Rankings
Israel leads all 38 countries in Student Science Gap (Top 10% vs Bottom 10%) with a value of 1.89, while Estonia ranks last at 1.57. The gap between top and bottom reflects meaningful global variation.
What Student Science Gap (Top 10% vs Bottom 10%) Measures
Student Science Gap (Top 10% vs Bottom 10%) is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the OECD. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Student Science Gap (Top 10% vs Bottom 10%) 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 1.57 (Estonia) to 1.89 (Israel) — 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 1.66 to 1.77. The overall spread from 1.57 to 1.89 reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
The top of the ranking is competitive: Israel and Netherlands are separated by only 1%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.
Continental Leaders
Highest Ranked
The top five countries for Student Science Gap (Top 10% vs Bottom 10%) are Israel (1.89), Netherlands (1.87), Slovakia (1.83), Norway (1.82), and Sweden (1.81). Together, these nations represent the global leaders in this metric.
Data Source & Methodology
Rankings are based on the latest available data from OECD, 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
Full Rankings
| Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1.89 | Asia | 100% | |
| 2nd | 1.87 | Europe | 97% | |
| 3rd | 1.83 | Europe | 95% | |
| 4th | 1.82 | Europe | 92% | |
| 5th | 1.81 | Europe | 89% | |
| 6th | 1.79 | Europe | 87% | |
| 7th | 1.79 | North America | 84% | |
| 8th | 1.78 | Oceania | 82% | |
| 9th | 1.78 | Oceania | 79% | |
| 10th | 1.77 | Europe | 76% | |
| 11th | 1.76 | Europe | 74% | |
| 12th | 1.76 | Europe | 71% | |
| 13th | 1.75 | Europe | 68% | |
| 14th | 1.75 | Europe | 66% | |
| 15th | 1.75 | Europe | 63% | |
| 16th | 1.74 | Europe | 61% | |
| 17th | 1.74 | North America | 58% | |
| 18th | 1.73 | Europe | 55% | |
| 19th | 1.73 | South America | 53% | |
| 20th | 1.71 | Europe | 50% | |
| 21st | 1.71 | Europe | 47% | |
| 22nd | 1.70 | Europe | 45% | |
| 23rd | 1.70 | Asia | 42% | |
| 24th | 1.68 | Europe | 39% | |
| 25th | 1.68 | North America | 37% | |
| 26th | 1.68 | Europe | 34% | |
| 27th | 1.67 | North America | 32% | |
| 28th | 1.67 | Europe | 29% | |
| 29th | 1.66 | Europe | 26% | |
| 30th | 1.66 | Europe | 24% | |
| 31st | 1.65 | Europe | 21% | |
| 32nd | 1.65 | Europe | 18% | |
| 33rd | 1.65 | Europe | 16% | |
| 34th | 1.62 | Europe | 13% | |
| 35th | 1.61 | North America | 11% | |
| 36th | 1.57 | Asia | 8% | |
| 37th | 1.57 | Europe | 5% | |
| 38th | 1.57 | Europe | 3% |