Singapore Leads Southeast Asia in PISA 2025 Scores

The findings of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 reveal notable differences in educational achievement among countries across Southeast Asia.

Organized by the OECD, the assessment evaluated the skills of 15-year-old students in four areas: science, mathematics, reading, and computational problem solving (CPS). Globally, the 2025 assessment involved more than 760,000 students from 91 countries and economies.

Singapore emerged as Southeast Asia's clear leader and remained among the strongest-performing education systems worldwide. Singaporean students achieved scores of 560 in science, 563 in mathematics, 535 in reading, and 563 in computational problem solving.

Singapore recorded the world's highest reading score and ranked second internationally in both science and mathematics. Its performance in computational problem solving was also among the highest recorded globally, highlighting the country's strong results across both traditional and digital skills.

Vietnam placed second among the Southeast Asian countries included in the assessment, with scores of 457 in science, 443 in mathematics, 392 in reading, and 461 in CPS.

Brunei Darussalam came next, scoring 439 in science, 435 in mathematics, 426 in reading, and 496 in computational problem solving. These results placed Brunei among ASEAN's three strongest performers in science and mathematics, while it ranked second in reading.

Thailand recorded scores of 432 in science, 407 in mathematics, 392 in reading, and 476 in CPS. Malaysia, meanwhile, scored 419 in science, 397 in mathematics, 393 in reading, and 484 in CPS. Malaysia's computational problem-solving result was particularly notable compared with its performance in the three conventional academic subjects.

The OECD also found that Malaysia performed more than 30 points above what would normally be expected in computational problem solving based on its science performance.

Further down the regional results, Indonesia scored 389 in science, 364 in mathematics, 365 in reading, and 427 in CPS. Cambodia achieved 382 in science, 366 in mathematics, and 347 in reading, while no CPS score was reported. The Philippines recorded 373 in science, 371 in mathematics, 367 in reading, and 434 in computational problem solving.

Taken together, the findings demonstrate a considerable education gap across Southeast Asia. Singapore stands significantly ahead of its regional counterparts, particularly in science, mathematics, and reading.

However, the relatively strong CPS results achieved by countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines indicate that conventional academic measurements may not fully capture students' abilities, particularly as digital skills become increasingly important.

The PISA 2025 findings consequently present both challenges and opportunities for Southeast Asian governments. Improving academic outcomes while developing students' digital and problem-solving abilities will remain important as education systems prepare young people for an increasingly technology-driven future.