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Data profiles:


Sweden
Student performance (PISA 2022)
  • In mathematics, the main topic of PISA 2022, 15-year-olds in score 482 points compared to an average of 472 points in OECD countries.
  • On average, 15-year-olds score 487 points in reading compared to an average of 476 points in OECD countries.
  • In Sweden, the average performance in science of 15-year-olds is 494 points, compared to an average of 485 points in OECD countries.
  • Average 2022 results were down compared to 2018 in mathematics and reading, and about the same as in 2018 in science.
  • In mathematics and reading, the drop in average scores between 2018 and 2022 reversed most of the gains observed between 2012 and 2018: results returned close to those observed in 2012 (the lowest ever observed). In science, the trend remained somewhat more positive over the 2012-2022 period; significant improvements were observed, in particular, among high-performing students.
  • Over the most recent period (2018 to 2022), the gap between the highest-scoring students (10% with the highest scores) and the weakest students (10% with the lowest scores) widened in mathematics and science, while it did not change significantly in reading. In mathematics, almost all students became weaker, but low-achievers declined by more than high-achievers did.
  • In Sweden, 73% of students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics, significantly more than on average across OECD countries (OECD average: 69%). At a minimum, these students can interpret and recognize, without direct instructions, how a simple situation can be represented mathematically.
  • Some 10% of students in Sweden were top performers in mathematics, meaning that they attained Level 5 or 6 in the PISA mathematics test (OECD average: 9%). At these levels, students can model complex situations mathematically, and can select, compare and evaluate appropriate problem-solving strategies for dealing with them.
  • In Sweden, 50% of students (the largest share) were in the top international quintile of the socio-economic scale, meaning that they were among the most advantaged students who took the PISA test in 2022. Their average score in mathematics was 518 score points. In Estonia and Japan, students of similar socio-economic background tend to score significantly higher.
  • Boys and girls performed at similar levels on average in mathematics but girls outperformed boys in reading by 37 score points in Sweden. Globally, in mathematics, boys outperformed girls in 40 countries and economies, girls outperformed boys in another 17 countries or economies, and no significant difference was found in the remaining 24. In reading, girls, on average, scored above boys in all but two countries and economies that participated in PISA 2022 (79 out of 81).
  • In Sweden, 15% of students reported that their school building was closed for more than three months due to COVID-19. On average across OECD countries, 51% of students experienced similarly long school closures. In education systems where performance remained high and students' sense of belonging improved, fewer students experienced longer school closures.
    • | PISA 2022 | Country Note | PISA 2022 Assessment and Analytical Framework | PISA Database | National website | Glossary |
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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 reading

    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 largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (290 PISA Score, rank 7/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The percentage of top-performing girls in reading (proficiency Level 5 or 6) is one of the highest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (12.5 %, rank 10/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Student performance in science

    The score difference in science between the 10% of students with the highest scores and the 10% of students with the lowest scores is one of the largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (284 PISA Score, rank 4/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Educational outcomes

    in Sweden, compared to the share of students who did not attended pre-primary school for at least one year, the share of students who did so having repeated a grade at least once in any education level is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies, before accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (0.15 Ratio, rank 68/72 , 2022) Download Indicator

    in Sweden, compared to the share of students who did not attended pre-primary school for at least one year, the share of students who did so having repeated a grade at least once in any education level is one of the smallest among PISA-participating countries and economies, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (0.21 Ratio, rank 66/70 , 2022) Download Indicator

    School climate

    The disciplinary climate in language-of-instruction lessons is one of the worse compared to other countries and economies. (-0.32 PISA Index, rank 74/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Classroom environment

    Sweden has one of the smallest share of students in schools that group students by abillity for all subjects. (1.1 %, rank 74/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The difference in mathematics score between students attending a school with ability grouping in classes and those who do not is relatively large in Sweden, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-11 PISA Score points, rank 3/11 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Student well-being

    Among OECD and partner countries with available data, Sweden has one of the lowest index of mathematics anxiety. (-0.07 PISA Index, rank 71/76 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Students' engagement, drive and self-beliefs

    The share of students who disagreed or strongly disagreed that 'your intelligence is something about you that you can't change very much' in Sweden is among the largest. (70.4 %, rank 6/75 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden has one of the smallest differences in mathematics performance associated with a one-hour increase in the time spent doing homework in all subjects, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-5 PISA Score points, rank 66/66 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden has one of the smallest differences in mathematics performance associated with a one-hour increase in the time spent doing homework in mathematics, before accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-22 PISA Score points, rank 58/58 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden has one of the smallest differences in mathematics performance associated with a one-hour increase in the time spent doing homework in mathematics, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-19 PISA Score points, rank 59/59 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden has one of the smallest differences in mathematics performance associated with a one-hour increase in the time spent doing homework in all subjects, before accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (-4 PISA Score points, rank 68/68 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden had one of the least frequent shares of students whose teacher asked them to think about how new and old math topics were related, in more than half of the lessons at least. (26.2 %, rank 71/79 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden had one of the largest shares of students who disagree or strongly disagree that intelligence is something about you that you cannot change very much. (70.4 %, rank 6/74 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden had one of the largest shares of students who disagree or strongly disagree that some people are just not good at math, no matter how hard they study. (52 %, rank 4/74 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Learning strategies

    Sweden had one of the highest shares of students who ask questions when they do not understand the math material that was being taught, more than half of the time at least. (55.1 %, rank 9/79 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Performance and socio-economic status

    The maths performance of students in the bottom international decile of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) scale is among the highest, compared to countries and economies participating in PISA. (402 PISA Score, rank 9/64 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Sweden, the variation within schools of the mathematics performance is among the largest, when compared to average total variation across OECD countries. (94.9 %, rank 5/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    The mean PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) in Sweden is one of the higest among countries and economies participating in PISA. (0.33 PISA Index, rank 6/79 , 2022) 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 largest among PISA-participating countries and economies. (50 PISA Score, rank 5/79 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Performance and diversity

    In Sweden, the difference in mathematics performance between immigrant students who speak the language of assessment at home and immigrant students who do not is relatively low compared to the other OECD and partner countries. (16 PISA Score, rank 12/17 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Sweden, the share of immigrant students aged 15 who do not speak the language of the PISA assessment at home is relatively high . (75.7 %, rank 7/76 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Among 15 year-olds, the share of first generation immigrant students in Sweden is one of the highest among OECD and partner countries with available data. (10.6 %, rank 9/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Resources for education

    The change between 2012 and 2022 in the number of computers per student at schoolin Sweden is large compared to the other OECD and partner countries. (0.34 Ratio, rank 6/40 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden has one of the largest differences in mathematics performance associated with a one-hour increase in the time spent per day on digital devices for learning at school, after accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (5 PISA Score points, rank 5/60 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Teachers' engagement, motivation and drive

    Sweden has one of the highest levels of preparedness for digital learning among OECD and partner countries/economies. (0.6 Ratio, rank 6/70 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Governance

    Schools in Sweden are highly autonomous, as measured by the percentage of tasks for which they have considerable responsibility. (0.58 PISA Index, rank 4/66 , 2022) Download Indicator

    In Sweden, compared to attending a public school, the difference in mathematics performance associated with attendance at private schools is among the smallest of the OECD and partner countries/economies, before accounting for students' and schools' socio-economic profile. (24 PISA Score points, rank 39/48 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden has a school system where school selectivity is less intense than in the other OECD and partner countries/economies. (1.16 PISA Index, rank 80/80 , 2022) Download Indicator

    COVID-19 effects on education

    Sweden cumulated one of the shortest school closure periods because of COVID-19 according to students (2 Months, rank 72/77 , 2022) Download Indicator

    Sweden cumulated one of the shortest school closure periods because of COVID-19 according to principals (9 Days, rank 76/77 , 2022) Download Indicator


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    General findings
    
                        
    
                            
    
                                
    • Singapore scored significantly higher than all other countries/economies in mathematics (575 points) and, along with Hong Kong (China), Japan, Korea, Macao (China), and Chinese Taipei, outperformed all other countries and economies in mathematics. Another 17 countries also performed above the OECD average (472 points), ranging from Estonia (510 points) to New Zealand (479 points). 
    • Boys outperformed girls in mathematics by nine score points and girls outperformed boys in reading by 24 score points on average across OECD countries. In science, the performance difference between boys and girls is not significant. 
    • An average of 69% of students are at least basically proficient in mathematics in OECD countries. This means they are beginning to demonstrate the ability and initiative to use mathematics in simple real-life situations. 
    • In 16 out of 81 countries/economies participating in PISA 2022, more than 10% of students attained Level 5 or 6 proficiency, meaning they are high-performing: they understand that a problem is quantitative in nature and can formulate complex mathematical models to solve it. By contrast, less than 5% of students are high-performing in 42 countries/economies.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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    • Singapore scored significantly higher than all other countries/economies in reading (543 points) and science (561 points). Behind Singapore, Ireland performed as well as Estonia, Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei while another 14 education systems performed above the OECD average in reading (476 points), ranging from Macao (China) (510 points) to Italy (482 points).
    • About three out of four students have achieved basic proficiency in reading in OECD countries. 
    • In reading, an OECD average of 7% of students attained the highest proficiency levels of 5 or 6. In 13 countries/economies, more than 10% of students are top performers in reading.
    • No change in the OECD average over consecutive PISA assessments up to 2018 has ever exceeded five points in reading: in PISA 2022, however, the OECD average dropped by about 10 score points in reading compared to PISA 2018.. The unprecedented drops reading point to the shock effect of COVID-19 on most countries.
    • Only four countries and economies improved their performance between PISA 2018 and 2022 in all three subjects: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic and Chinese Taipei.
    • Trend analysis of PISA results reveals a decades-long decline that began well before the pandemic. In reading, performances peaked in 2012 and 2009, respectively, before dipping while performance began a downward descent in mathematics before 2018 in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Slovak Republic and Switzerland.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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    • Mean performance in science remained stable. 
    • In science, the highest-performing education systems are Singapore, Japan, Macao (China), Chinese Taipei, Korea, Estonia, Hong Kong (China) and Canada. Finland performed as well as Canada in science. In addition to these nine countries and economies, another 15 education systems also performed above the OECD average in science (485 points), ranging from Australia (507 points) to Belgium (491 points). 
    • About three out of four students have achieved basic proficiency science in OECD countries.
    • In science, an OECD average of 7% of students attained the highest proficiency levels of 5 or 6. In 14 countries/economies, more than 10% of students are top performers in science. 
    • Only four countries and economies improved their performance between PISA 2018 and 2022 in all three subjects: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic and Chinese Taipei.
    • Trend analysis of PISA results reveals a decades-long decline that began well before the pandemic. In science, performances peaked in 2012 and 2009, respectively, before dipping. while performance began a downward descent in mathematics before 2018 in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Slovak Republic and Switzerland.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education | Education policies: Skills | 
    
                            
    
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    • Socio-economically advantaged students scored 93 points more in mathematics than disadvantaged students on average across OECD countries. The performance gap attributed to students' socio-economic status is greater than 93 score points in 22 countries or economies and 50 points or fewer in 13 countries or economies.
    • Boys outperformed girls in mathematics by nine score points and girls outperformed boys in reading by 24 score points on average across OECD countries. In science, the performance difference between boys and girls is not significant. 
    • Non-immigrant students scored 29 points more than immigrant students in mathematics on average across OECD countries but non-immigrant students scored only five points more than immigrant students once socio-economic status and language spoken at home had been accounted for.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education | PISA 2022 Results (Volume II): Learning During - and From - Disruption | Education policies: Gender | Education policies: Socio-economic status | Education policies: Migrant background | 
    
                            
    
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    • Between 2018 and 2022 trends in students' sense of belonging at school were mixed, with equal proportions of countries/economies showing stable, improving or deteriorating trends. Of the 47 education systems with improving or stable trends, only 20 maintained or attained a level of students' sense of belonging at school that was at or above the OECD average. 
    • Around 10% of students reported feeling unsafe on their way to or from school, or in places outside of the classroom, on average across OECD countries. Some 20% of students reported that they are bullied at least a few times a month.
    • Overall, students felt more confident about using digital technology for learning remotely during future school closures than they felt about taking responsibility for their own learning. For instance, on average across OECD countries, about three out of four students reported that they feel confident or very confident about using a learning-management system, a school learning platform or a video communication program, as well as about finding learning resources online on their own.
    • Students' experience with learning at home was more positive in systems that were better prepared for remote learning. However, when learning remotely, 40% of all students reported feeling lonely and 50% of all students reported feeling anxious about schoolwork and that they fell behind in their studies; and three in ten students reported that teachers were not available when needed, on average across OECD countries. 
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume II): Learning During - and From - Disruption | Education policies: Students' Well-Being | Education policies: Student engagement and motivation | Education policies: Learning time & Disciplinary climate | OECD Better Life Index | 
    
                            
    
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    • Singapore, Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Estonia and Finland are the highest-performing systems in creative thinking, significantly above the OECD average. Students in Singapore score 41 points on average in creative thinking.
    • There is a large performance gap in creative thinking between the highest-performing and lowest-performing country of 28 score points – or around four proficiency levels. 97 out of 100 students in the five best-performing countries performed above the average student in the five lowest performing countries.
    • Academic excellence is not a pre-requisite for excellence in creative thinking. While around half of all students who performed at the highest level in creative thinking performed at the highest level in mathematics, similar proportions of students within the third quintile of creative thinking performance scored within the second, third and fourth quintiles, respectively, in mathematics. However, very few students below a baseline proficiency in mathematics excelled in creative thinking.
    • In no country or economy did boys outperform girls in creative thinking, with girls scoring 3 points higher in creative thinking on average across the OECD. The gender gap is significant in all countries/economies after accounting for mathematics performance and in around half of all countries/economies even after accounting for students’ reading performance.
    • Students with higher socio-economic status performed better in creative thinking, with advantaged students scoring around 9.5 points higher than their disadvantaged peers on average across the OECD. In general, the strength of the association between socio-economic status and performance is weaker in creative thinking than it is for mathematics, reading and science.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume III): Creative Minds, Creative Schools | 
    
                            
    
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    • Asking questions is key to learning. However, less than half of students ask questions often when they don’t understand something in mathematics class.
    • Critical thinking is a vital learning strategy. It involves considering other perspectives before forming one’s own opinion. Less than 60% of students employ critical-thinking strategies on average.
    • Connecting new knowledge with existing knowledge is crucial. Yet, less than half of students report doing this regularly in mathematics lessons.
    • Intrinsic motivation predicts the use of learning strategies. Only around half of students report being intrinsically motivated to learn new things in school.
    • Growth mindsets are linked to positive learning strategies and outcomes. While 58% report a general growth mindset, fewer students feel this way specifically about mathematics.
    • Most students feel confident finding information online, but judging the quality of that information remains a challenge, especially for lower performers.
    • Proactive learners who connect new material with prior knowledge and stay engaged in the classroom are most confident in their mathematics skills for the 21st century.
    • Only about a third of students are exposed to 21st-century mathematics tasks, such as applying solutions to real-life situations. Practices like exploring different problem-solving methods are associated with increased confidence in these skills.
    
                            
    
                            
    
                                | PISA 2022 Results (Volume V): Learning Strategies and Attitudes for Life | 
    
                            
    
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            Diagram of funding flows - Sweden
            
    
            
    
        
    


        
		
    
            
    
			Click on the coverpage to see the full OECD iLibrary version
			
    
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            Country Reviews for Sweden
            
    
            
    
			
    
        
    
		
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
              
        
    
            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: http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/
            

    
			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: 2018 for school year 2017/2018.  
			

    
	    *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 2021 for more details about the data collections.
            

    
			B-S-J-Z (China) refers to the four PISA-participating provinces/municipalities of the People's Republic of China:
Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
			

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