Where Is the Reading Gender Gap the Widest?
Key Takeaways:
- Girls recorded higher mean reading scores than boys in 89 of the 90 education systems tested in PISA 2025.
- Rwanda was the only education system where boys recorded a higher mean reading score than girls, leading by six points.
- The OECD-wide reading gap widened by five points from 2022 to 2025, largely because boys’ scores fell more sharply.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures how well 15-year-olds can apply reading, mathematics, and science skills to real-world challenges. Its latest results show a wide gender gap in reading performance.
How Big Is the Reading Gap Between Girls and Boys?
The table below shows mean reading scores by gender from the OECD’s PISA 2025 Results.
| Country/Economy | Girls (Avg. score) |
Boys (Avg. score) |
Difference (Girls - Boys) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 548 | 522 | 26 |
| B-S-J-Z (China) | 530 | 523 | 7 |
| Chinese Taipei | 528 | 489 | 39 |
| Korea | 515 | 487 | 28 |
| New Zealand* | 514 | 480 | 33 |
| Macao (China) | 513 | 490 | 22 |
| Estonia | 512 | 487 | 25 |
| Japan | 510 | 496 | 14 |
| Ireland | 510 | 491 | 19 |
| Australia | 507 | 475 | 31 |
| United Kingdom | 501 | 488 | 14 |
| Canada* | 501 | 479 | 22 |
| United States* | 501 | 477 | 24 |
| Poland | 500 | 463 | 37 |
| Finland | 498 | 452 | 46 |
| Italy | 488 | 460 | 28 |
| Sweden | 487 | 447 | 41 |
| Hong Kong (China) | 486 | 474 | 12 |
| Lithuania | 486 | 442 | 44 |
| Switzerland | 485 | 454 | 31 |
| Czechia | 484 | 454 | 31 |
| Belgium | 483 | 450 | 33 |
| Türkiye | 482 | 460 | 22 |
| Austria | 480 | 454 | 26 |
| Portugal | 479 | 445 | 33 |
| Germany | 478 | 453 | 25 |
| Croatia | 477 | 430 | 47 |
| Denmark | 476 | 445 | 31 |
| France | 473 | 441 | 32 |
| Norway* | 473 | 434 | 39 |
| Slovenia | 471 | 420 | 52 |
| Slovak Republic | 466 | 429 | 37 |
| Spain | 464 | 439 | 26 |
| Hungary | 462 | 442 | 20 |
| Netherlands* | 459 | 424 | 35 |
| Luxembourg | 458 | 429 | 30 |
| Israel | 455 | 417 | 38 |
| United Arab Emirates | 451 | 414 | 37 |
| Latvia | 450 | 409 | 42 |
| Chile | 446 | 425 | 21 |
| Greece | 446 | 400 | 46 |
| Montenegro | 440 | 399 | 41 |
| Iceland | 439 | 408 | 31 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 438 | 414 | 25 |
| Qatar | 438 | 398 | 40 |
| Malta | 438 | 392 | 47 |
| Uruguay | 436 | 411 | 25 |
| Serbia | 435 | 395 | 40 |
| Ukrainian regions (17 of 27) | 434 | 402 | 32 |
| Romania | 429 | 399 | 30 |
| Costa Rica | 423 | 409 | 14 |
| Albania* | 423 | 391 | 32 |
| Moldova | 423 | 385 | 38 |
| Brazil | 419 | 397 | 21 |
| Mauritius | 415 | 395 | 20 |
| Mexico | 414 | 402 | 12 |
| Bulgaria | 412 | 364 | 49 |
| Colombia | 407 | 391 | 16 |
| Thailand | 406 | 376 | 30 |
| Georgia | 406 | 364 | 42 |
| Viet Nam | 404 | 379 | 25 |
| Malaysia | 403 | 382 | 22 |
| Cyprus | 401 | 357 | 44 |
| Saudi Arabia | 400 | 374 | 26 |
| Peru | 399 | 382 | 17 |
| Kazakhstan | 398 | 372 | 27 |
| Argentina | 394 | 385 | 9 |
| Ecuador | 394 | 376 | 18 |
| Azerbaijan | 392 | 356 | 36 |
| Mongolia | 390 | 358 | 31 |
| Philippines | 380 | 354 | 27 |
| Jordan | 379 | 346 | 33 |
| Indonesia | 377 | 353 | 24 |
| El Salvador | 375 | 358 | 17 |
| Palestinian Authority | 374 | 319 | 56 |
| North Macedonia | 373 | 342 | 31 |
| Dushanbe (Tajikistan) | 372 | 364 | 8 |
| Armenia | 368 | 327 | 40 |
| Paraguay | 361 | 343 | 18 |
| Dominican Republic | 360 | 330 | 30 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 358 | 331 | 27 |
| Kosovo | 358 | 322 | 35 |
| Cambodia | 355 | 338 | 17 |
| Guatemala | 342 | 333 | 9 |
| Lebanon | 335 | 326 | 10 |
| Morocco | 329 | 313 | 17 |
| Kurdistan Region (Iraq) | 328 | 295 | 33 |
| Zambia | 326 | 324 | 2 |
| Kenya | 322 | 319 | 3 |
| Rwanda | 298 | 304 | -6 |
| OECD average | 476 | 446 | 30 |
*Indicates low school and student participation, with rates falling below international standards.
Rwanda was the lone system where boys posted a higher mean score, leading by six points. Girls had higher mean scores in the other 89 systems, although the differences in Kenya and Zambia were not statistically significant. The largest gaps favoring girls reached 45 points or more in seven systems.
Among OECD countries, 37% of boys failed to reach baseline reading proficiency, compared with 25% of girls. At the top end, 7% of girls and 5% of boys reached Level 5 or higher.
These differences emerge well before age 15: multicountry research has found a female reading advantage in early primary grades, while U.S. research has observed gaps from fourth grade onward.
Why Does the Reading Gap Persist?
Engagement may be part of the picture. UNESCO reports that boys tend to express less enjoyment of and confidence in reading, while UK research similarly finds lower reading enjoyment among boys. These patterns suggest the gap cannot be reduced to ability alone.
Recent declines have also been steeper among boys. From 2022 to 2025, boys’ OECD-average reading scores fell 17 points, compared with a 12-point decline for girls, widening the gender gap by five points.
The divide also provides context for later educational patterns, with stark differences emerging in women’s and men’s participation in higher education. Reading proficiency can influence access to further education and, in turn, earning prospects in the workforce.
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