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.

Lowest Ranked

At the other end of the spectrum, Estonia (1.57), Latvia (1.57), Japan (1.57), Mexico (1.61), and Ireland (1.62) have the lowest values globally.

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

Science Score Gap ranking for 38 countries
1stFlag of IsraelIsrael1.89
2ndFlag of NetherlandsNetherlands1.87
3rdFlag of SlovakiaSlovakia1.83
4thFlag of NorwayNorway1.82
5thFlag of SwedenSweden1.81
6thFlag of GermanyGermany1.79
7thFlag of United StatesUnited States1.79
8thFlag of AustraliaAustralia1.78
9thFlag of New ZealandNew Zealand1.78
10thFlag of FranceFrance1.77
11thFlag of IcelandIceland1.76
12thFlag of BelgiumBelgium1.76
13thFlag of FinlandFinland1.75
14thFlag of AustriaAustria1.75
15thFlag of United KingdomUnited Kingdom1.75
16thFlag of LuxembourgLuxembourg1.74
17thFlag of ColombiaColombia1.74
18thFlag of GreeceGreece1.73
19thFlag of ChileChile1.73
20thFlag of HungaryHungary1.71
21stFlag of CzechiaCzechia1.71
22ndFlag of SwitzerlandSwitzerland1.70
23rdFlag of South KoreaSouth Korea1.70
24thFlag of PolandPoland1.68
25thFlag of CanadaCanada1.68
26thFlag of ItalyItaly1.68
27thFlag of Costa RicaCosta Rica1.67
28thFlag of DenmarkDenmark1.67
29thFlag of LithuaniaLithuania1.66
30thFlag of PortugalPortugal1.66
31stFlag of SpainSpain1.65
32ndFlag of SloveniaSlovenia1.65
33rdFlag of TurkeyTurkey1.65
34thFlag of IrelandIreland1.62
35thFlag of MexicoMexico1.61
36thFlag of JapanJapan1.57
37thFlag of LatviaLatvia1.57
38thFlag of EstoniaEstonia1.57