Are teenagers growing dimmer?
· World · Hindustan Times, The Economist
Global test scores for 15-year-olds in mathematics, reading, and science have continued to fall across rich nations, according to the latest PISA data released by the OECD on September 8th, 2026. The declines are accelerating in literacy, dashing hopes of a post-pandemic rebound and pointing to long-running systemic pressures on school performance. Asian school systems dominated the international league table, with students in China scoring 100 points above the OECD average in science and maths, followed by Singapore, Macau, Taiwan, and Japan. Estonia maintained its position as the top-performing Western school system, while Britain broke into the global top ten across all three disciplines. However, the overarching trend among 23 long-standing OECD member countries shows average scores peaking around 2012 before entering a sustained downward trajectory.
Why it matters
Declining educational outcomes among students threaten future workforce readiness and long-term economic growth across participating nations.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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