Singapore Ranks Unrivaled in Academic Achievement... World No. 1 in Reading, Rising to 2nd in Science and Mathematics

【Jakarta (Indonesia) = Correspondent Aulia Maulida Hamdani】 Singapore has maintained its regional lead in the education sector, recording overwhelming results among Southeast Asian countries in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In particular, it ranked first in the world in reading and second in both science and mathematics.
According to the PISA 2025 analysis released on the 11th by SeaAsia Stats, a digital media platform providing statistics and rankings, Singaporean students scored 560 points in science, 563 points in mathematics, 535 points in reading, and 563 points in computational thinking-based problem solving (CPS). Singapore ranked first in the world in reading and second in both science and mathematics.
PISA is an international academic achievement assessment conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for 15-year-old students. In 2025, more than 760,000 students from 91 countries and economies around the world participated, and along with science, mathematics, and reading, computational thinking-based problem-solving skills were newly measured in this assessment.
Among Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam followed Singapore with 457 points in science, 443 points in mathematics, 392 points in reading, and 461 points in CPS. Brunei Darussalam ranked among the top in the region with 439 points in science, 435 points in mathematics, 426 points in reading, and 496 points in CPS.
Thailand recorded 432 points in science, 407 in mathematics, 392 in reading, and 476 in CPS, while Malaysia was recorded at 419, 397, 393, and 484, respectively. Notably, Malaysia’s CPS scores were relatively high compared to traditional academic domains, and the OECD included Malaysia among education systems with computing problem-solving skills that were more than 30 points higher than expected based on science scores.
Indonesia scored 389 in Science, 364 in Mathematics, 365 in Reading, and 427 in CPS. The Kingdom of Cambodia scored 382 in Science, 366 in Mathematics, and 347 in Reading, while CPS scores were not disclosed. The Philippines scored 373 in Science, 371 in Mathematics, 367 in Reading, and 434 in CPS.
These results demonstrate that Singapore took the regional lead in traditional academic areas such as science, mathematics, and reading, amidst significant educational achievement gaps among Southeast Asian countries. Conversely, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines recorded relatively high scores in Computational Problem Solving (CPS) compared to their traditional academic achievements, demonstrating strengths in problem-solving competencies required in digital environments.

[email protected] Correspondent Aulia Maulida Hamdani Reporter