Rwanda
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Rwanda
Student performance (PISA 2025)
  • In 2025, the average score of 15-year-old students in science in Rwanda was 317 PISA score points (OECD average: 482 PISA score points), and the score difference between boys and girls was 26 PISA score points (OECD average: -1 PISA score points).
  • Low performers in science accounted for 87.2% of students in Rwanda (OECD average: 25.7%), while 0% were top performers, scoring at Level 5 or 6 (OECD average: 7.2%). The performance difference between students at the 90th and 10th percentiles was 194 PISA score points (OECD average: 258 PISA score points).
  • In mathematics, 15-year-old students in Rwanda scored 312 PISA score points on average (OECD average: 463 PISA score points). The score difference between boys and girls was 23 PISA score points (OECD average: 13 PISA score points).
  • Reading performance averaged 301 PISA score points score points in Rwanda (OECD average: 461 PISA score points). The difference between boys and girls was 6 PISA score points (OECD average: -30 PISA score points).
  • Some 70.2% of students in Rwanda reported that they like learning new things in school (OECD average: 68.8%), and 65.4% reported that they like to know how things work (OECD average: 74%). Regarding student perserverance, 61.4% reported that they finish what they start (OECD average: 61.2%), and 56.1% that they put in additional effort when work becomes challenging (OECD average: 59.5%).
  • Students in Rwanda reported their engagement as well as their learning dispositions across indices such as: -0.27 for curiosity (OECD average: 0 ), -0.13 for perseverance (OECD average: 0 ).
  • Some 76.4% of students in Rwanda reported feeling that they belong at school (OECD average: 76.2%), while 84.2% reported that they make friends easily (OECD average: 80%) and 76% that they believe their peers like them (OECD average: 83.1%).
  • Socio-economic status accounted for 3.1% of the variation in science performance in Rwanda (OECD average: 11.6%). The science-performance gap separating students in the top quarter of the socio-economic distribution from those in the bottom quarter was 30 PISA score points (OECD average: 84 PISA score points).
  • Moderate use of digital devices for learning at school is associated with different levels of science performance in Rwanda: students reporting no use scored 345 PISA score points (OECD average: 480 PISA score points), those using them for two to three hours per day scored 331 PISA score points (OECD average: 499 PISA score points), and those using them for more than seven hours scored 306 PISA score points (OECD average: 481 PISA score points).
  • In Rwanda, students reported their environmental awareness and sense of agency as follows: -0.67 on the environmental-awareness index (OECD average: -0.14 ), -0.02 on beliefs in their capacity to generate environmental change (OECD average: 0 ), and 0.09 on collective environmental efficacy (OECD average: 0 ).
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    The following list displays indicators for which your selected country shows the highest and lowest values among countries. The list can be sorted by level of education or by age group. All rankings are calculated including available data from OECD and partner countries. Find out more about the methodology here.

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    Student performance in science

    The mean score in science performance is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (317 PISA Score points, rank 90/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Boys' performance in science is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (332 PISA Score points, rank 90/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Girls' performance in science is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (306 PISA Score points, rank 90/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The gender difference in science performance in favour of boys is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (26 PISA Score points, rank 1/53 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low performers in science (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (87.2 %, rank 2/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low-performing boys in science (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (84.2 %, rank 4/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of top-performing boys in science (proficiency Level 5 or 6) is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (0 %, rank 81/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low-performing girls in science (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (89.5 %, rank 1/90 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Student performance in mathematics

    The mean score in mathematics performance is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (312 PISA Score points, rank 89/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Boys' performance in mathematics is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (325 PISA Score points, rank 88/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Girls' performance in mathematics is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (302 PISA Score points, rank 89/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Boys outperform girls in mathematics performance with one of the largest score-point differences. (23 PISA Score points, rank 3/61 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low performers in mathematics (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (92.3 %, rank 2/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low-performing boys in mathematics (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (90.4 %, rank 2/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low-performing girls in mathematics (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (93.7 %, rank 3/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Student performance in reading

    The mean score in reading performance is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (301 PISA Score points, rank 89/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Boys' performance in reading is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (304 PISA Score points, rank 88/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Girls' performance in reading is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (298 PISA Score points, rank 89/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The difference between girls and boys in reading performance is one of the smallest in favor of boys among PISA-participating countries and economies. (6 PISA Score points, rank 1/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The score difference in reading between the 10% of students with the highest scores and the 10% of students with the lowest scores is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (113 PISA Score, rank 89/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low performers in reading (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (96.2 %, rank 1/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low-performing boys in reading (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (96.5 %, rank 1/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of low-performing girls in reading (below proficiency Level 2) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (95.9 %, rank 1/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Student performance in mathematics, reading and science

    The percentage of low performers in all subjects (mathematics, reading and science) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (86.5 %, rank 1/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Performance and socio-economic status

    The variance of results in mathematics is weakly associated with the socio-economic status of students, as measured by the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS). (2.1 %, rank 83/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The difference in mathematics performance associated with a one-unit increase in the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (7 PISA Score, rank 83/85 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The maths performance of students in the bottom international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the lowest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (309 PISA Score, rank 62/64 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The maths performance of students in the top international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the lowest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (362 PISA Score, rank 85/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The difference in reading performance associated with a one-unit increase in the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) in Rwanda is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (8 PISA Score, rank 83/85 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The reading performance of students in the bottom international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the lowest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (295 PISA Score, rank 63/64 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The reading performance of students in the top international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the lowest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (363 PISA Score, rank 84/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The variance of results in science is weakly associated with the socio-economic status of students, as measured by the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS). (3.1 %, rank 83/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The difference in science performance associated with a one-unit increase in the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) is one of the smallest among OECD countries and partners. (10 PISA Score points, rank 83/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The score difference in reading between students in the top quarter of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) and those in the bottom quarter of ESCS is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (30 PISA Score, rank 83/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The science performance of students in the bottom international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the lowest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (312 PISA Score, rank 63/65 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The science performance of students in the top international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the lowest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (391 PISA Score, rank 84/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Performance and diversity

    After accounting for socio-economic status, the difference in science performance between non-immigrant and immigrant students is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies, in favour of non-immigrants. (28 PISA Score, rank 5/71 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Participation in education

    The percentage of students who have repeated a grade during primary, lower secondary or upper secondary school is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (55.7 %, rank 1/85 , 2025) Download Indicator

    School climate

    Students in Rwanda reported feeling relatively less safe than students in other OECD and partner countries/economies. (-0.39 PISA Index, rank 84/85 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Classroom environment

    The ratio of students to teaching staff in socio-economically disadvantaged schools is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (37 Students, rank 2/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The ratio of students to teaching staff in socio-economically advantaged schools is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (30 Students, rank 2/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The shortage of schools' educational material is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (0.67 PISA Index, rank 9/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The ratio of students to teaching staff in schools attended by 15-year-olds is comparatively high in Rwanda. (35 Students, rank 2/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Student well-being

    In Rwanda, the average level of student's life satisfaction is one of the lowest among countries and economies participating in PISA. (5.47 PISA Index, rank 83/83 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Bullying

    In 2025, the index of exposure to bullying was one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (1.01 PISA Index, rank 1/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Compared to other PISA-participating countries and economies, the percentage of students who reported being bullied (includes any type of bullying act) at least a few times a month is one of the highest. (56.8 %, rank 1/89 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Rwanda had one of the largest shares of students who reported being cyberbullied (information about them that was upsetting were published online without their consent). (21.9 %, rank 1/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Students' engagement, drive and self-beliefs

    In Rwanda, the share of girls who agreed that school had not been a waste of time was among the lowest across countries with available data. (66 %, rank 86/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Compared to other OECD and partner countries/economies, students in Rwanda are not relatively curious, as measured by the PISA index of curiosity. (-0.27 PISA Index, rank 80/85 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Rwanda had one of the smallest shares of students who disagree that school has been a waste of time. (66.8 %, rank 84/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Rwanda, the share of students who reported that they like to know how things work was among the smallest across countries with available data. (65.4 %, rank 77/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The gender difference in the index of curiosity (boys - girls) in Rwanda shows a narrow gap in favor of boys compared with other countries with available data. (0.11 PISA Index, rank 6/66 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Rwanda, the gender difference in the index of perseverance (boys - girls) shows a slight difference in favor of boys compared with other countries with available data. (0.16 PISA Index, rank 2/60 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Students’ readiness for learning in the digital age

    Students in Rwanda spent among the longest amounts of time on digital devices per day for learning activities at school across countries with available data. (3 Hours, rank 1/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Students in Rwanda spent among the longest amounts of time on digital devices per day for leisure at school across countries with available data. (3 Hours, rank 1/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Rwanda, the science performance of students spending no time using digital devices for learning activities at school was among the lowest across countries with available data, after accounting for student socio-economic status. (345 PISA Score, rank 85/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The science performance of students spending between 2 and 3 hours per day using digital devices for learning activities at school was among the lowest in Rwanda compared with other countries with available data, after accounting for student socio-economic status. (331 PISA Score, rank 85/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    In Rwanda, the science performance of students spending more than 7 hours per day using digital devices for learning activities at school was among the lowest across countries with available data, after accounting for student socio-economic status. (306 PISA Score, rank 86/86 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Students' attitudes and beliefs regarding environmental issues

    Among students who reported knowing about or being very familiar with climate change and global warming, Rwanda recorded one of the smallest share of students with environmental awareness. (-0.67 PISA Index, rank 79/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Rwanda ranked among the countries with the smallest share of students with environmental sense-of-purpose (among students who reported that looking after the global environment is important to them). (67 %, rank 85/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The share of students who reported that people working together could resolve environmental issues was among the smallest in Rwanda compared with other countries with available data. (72.9 %, rank 87/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Student involvement in environmental actions

    The percentage of students reporting their participation to at least one environmental-related activity is relatively high in Rwanda. (93.6 %, rank 3/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Parental involvement

    In 2025, the index of students' perceptions of family support was one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (-0.56 PISA Index, rank 82/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Resources for education

    In Rwanda, a large share of students attend schools whose principal reported that the school's capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by a lack of physical infrastructure. (53.9 %, rank 10/88 , 2025) Download Indicator

    Governance

    Schools are comparatively less responsible for curriculum and assessment than in other PISA-participating countries and economies. (0.33 PISA Index, rank 83/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of students in schools whose principals and/or teachers have considerable responsibility in establishing student assessment policies is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (11.4 %, rank 86/87 , 2025) Download Indicator

    The percentage of students in schools whose principals and/or teachers have considerable responsibility in determining course content is one of the lowest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (4.8 %, rank 85/86 , 2025) Download Indicator


    The data table will display up to six selected countries.
    General findings
    
                            
    • B-S-J-Z (China) and Singapore were the two highest-performing systems across science, mathematics and reading in PISA 2025. Additionally, Estonia, Japan, Korea, Macao (China), Chinese Taipei and the United Kingdom were among the top-10 performing education systems in all three domains.
    • PISA 2025 recorded the lowest OECD-average performance observed so far in science, reading and mathematics. Reading declined after peaking around 2012, science declined more gradually over the past decade, and mathematics fell especially sharply after 2018.
    • Around three-quarters of students demonstrated at least baseline proficiency in science: they pass from knowing some science to using science at a basic level.
    • Socio-economic background remains strongly associated with student achievement, accounting for 12% of within-country variation in science performance.
    • Students reported more teacher support in science lessons compared to 2015 in about half of countries/economies. Teacher support remains positively associated with science performance and learning attitudes.
    • The provision of study help such as peer-to-peer tutoring is associated with higher science performance.
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    • Socio-economic background remains strongly associated with student achievement, accounting for 12% of within-country variation in science performance.
    • Gender differences in performance in mathematics and reading are still remarquable, as for all previous PISA studies. Boys still perform better than girls in mathematics by 13 PISA score points while girls outperform boys in reading by 30 PISA score points in 2025, on average accross OECD countries. In science, girls perform almost as well as boys by only 1 score point difference.
    • Some education systems, such as B-S-J-Z (China), Canada, Estonia, Ireland, Japan, Korea and Macao (China), achieved both socio-economic fairness and strong performance.
    • Between 2022 and 2025, narrowing of socio-economic gaps in performance largely reflected declines among advantaged students rather than improvements among disadvantaged students.
    • Two out of three students perceive social mobility as achievable, rising to 75% or more in Portugal and Israel.
    • Girls generally reported higher levels of curiosity, perseverance, help seeking, goal setting a growth mindset, while boys tend to report higher cognitive adaptability.
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    • Some 69% of students reported that they like learning new things and 74% reported that they like to know how things work.
    • While 61% of students reported finishing what they start and 60% reported putting in extra effort when work becomes challenging, 52% reported finishing tasks they have started even when they become boring.
    • Girls generally reported higher levels of curiosity, perseverance, help seeking, goal setting a growth mindset, while boys tend to report higher cognitive adaptability.
    • Between 2022 and 2025 students' self-reported curiosity and perseverance declined.
    • Most students feel they belong at school (76%) and make friends easily (80%), and believe their peers like them (83%).
    • While 67% of students believe that school has taught them things that could be useful in a job, 49% reported that school has done little to prepare them for adult life, 24% viewed school has been a waste of time.
    • Bullying is associated with lower student performance and sense of belonging even after accounting for students’ and schools’ socio-economic profiles.
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    • On average, 79% of students use AI chatbots to help them to learn, including 26% weekly and 19% almost daily or more.
    • The relationship between AI use and science performance is complex. Students who frequently use AI for learning and learn to assess the quality of AI-generated information at school achieve higher science performance than non- or infrequent users. However, advantaged students have greater access to these opportunities, raising concerns about an AI divide.
    • Moderate use of digital devices for learning at school relates to higher science performance than no or heavy use. However, more than one hour of leisure use at school is linked to lower performance.
    • Some 28% of students reported that their peers are distracted by the use of digital devices during most or every science lesson. Cell-phone bans or subject-specific guidelines relate to less distraction and less time spent on digital devices at school, but their relationship with performance remains unclear.
    • Almost half of 15 year old students are in schools where the use of cell phones is not allowed on the school premises.
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    • About three in four students achieve at least baseline proficiency (Level 2) in environmental science.
    • Higher-performing students tend to report stronger environmental awareness, personal agency and collective efficacy.
    • Caring for the environment is widespread: 75% of students reported looking after the global environment is important to them; it is over 90% in B-S-J-Z (China), Indonesia, Korea and Cambodia.
    • Most students believe collective action (82%) and individual action (81%) can address environmental challenges, though fewer know how to collaborate effectively (68%).
    • On average, 28% of students never participated in any of the five environmental activities examined. Among them, 56% do not know anyone engaged in environmental actions, 49% believe others will address the problem and 47% feel their actions would not make a difference.
    • On average, 62% of students are interested in contributing to environmental protection through their future careers, particularly girls, socio-economically advantaged students, higher performing students and students with pro-environmental attitudes.
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    Key
    Diagram of funding flows - Rwanda

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    Key
    Country Reviews for Rwanda

    Note: These values should be interpreted with care since they are influenced by countries' specific contexts and trade-offs. In education, there is often no simple most- or least-efficient model. For instance, the share of private expenditure in education must be read against other measures designed to mitigate inequities, such as loans and grants; longer learning time is an opportunity to convey more and better content to students, but may hinder investments in other important areas. If you want further information on the nature of different variables, please take the time to read the analysis and contextual information, available at the website for each publication.
    All rankings for individual variables are compiled on the basis of OECD and G20 countries for which data are available. The OECD average includes only OECD countries which are listed here: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html

    Reference years displayed in the Education GPS correspond to the most common year of reference among countries for which data is available on each variable. Data for the latest available year is preferred and some countries may have provided data refering to a more recent or late year. To know more about possible exceptions on data please click on the "Download Indicator" link on each variable. When a year of reference corresponds to a school year encompassing two years, the reference reads as follows: 2026 for school year 2025/2026.

    *TALIS averages are based on all countries participating in the TALIS survey, including partner countries and economies. This explains the difference between the OECD average and the TALIS averages. Data from the TALIS survey and Education at a Glance (EAG) may differ. See Annex E of the TALIS technical report and Annex 3 of EAG 2024 for more details about the data collections.

    For additional notes, please refer to annexes in the list of links below the introductory country profile text.