Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

TIMSS 8th grade average Mathematics scores (2019)

TIMSS 8th grade average Science scores (2019)

TIMSS 4th grade average Mathematics scores (2019)

TIMSS 4th grade average Science scores (2019)

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)'s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a series of international assessments of the mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. The participating students come from a diverse set of educational systems (countries or regional jurisdictions of countries) in terms of economic development, geographical location, and population size. In each of the participating educational systems, a minimum of 4,000 to 5,000 students is evaluated. Contextual data about the conditions in which participating students learn mathematics and science are collected from the students and their teachers, their principals, and their parents via questionnaires.

TIMSS is one of the studies established by IEA aimed at allowing educational systems worldwide to compare students' educational achievement and learn from the experiences of others in designing effective education policy. This assessment was first conducted in 1995, and has been administered every four years thereafter. Therefore, some of the participating educational systems have trend data across assessments from 1995 to 2023. TIMSS assesses 4th and 8th grade students, while TIMSS Advanced assesses students in the final year of secondary school in advanced mathematics and physics.

Definition of terms

"Eighth grade" in the United States is approximately 13–14 years of age and equivalent to:

• Year 9 (Y9) in England and Wales
• 2nd Year (S2) in Scotland
• 2nd Year in the Republic of Ireland
• 1st Year in South Africa
• Form 2 in Hong Kong
• 4e in France
• Year 9 in New Zealand
• Form 2 in Malaysia
• 2nd Year in Japan

"Fourth grade" in the United States is approximately equivalent to 9–10 years of age and equivalent to:

• Year 5 (Y5) in England and Wales
• Primary 6 (P6) in Scotland
• Group 6 in the Netherlands
• CM1 in France
• Fourth Class in the Republic of Ireland
• Standard 3 or Year 5 in New Zealand
• 4th Year in Japan

History

A precursor to TIMSS was the First International Mathematics Study (FIMS) performed in 1964 in 11 countries for students aged 13 and in the final year of secondary education (FS) under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This was followed in 1970–1971 by the First International Science Study (FISS) for students aged 10, 14, and FS. Fourteen countries tested 10-year-olds; 16 countries tested the older two groups. These were replicated between 1980 and 1984.

These early studies were revised and combined by the IEA to create TIMSS, which was first administered in 1995. It was the largest international student assessment study of its time and evaluated students in five grades. In the second cycle (1999) only eighth-grade students were tested. In the next cycles (2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015) both 4th and 8th grade students were assessed. The 2011 cycle was performed in the same year as the IEA's Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), offering a comprehensive assessment of mathematics, science and reading for the countries participating in both studies. The sixth cycle was conducted in 2015, and the results were released in 2016; the data set was published in February 2017. TIMSS 2015 included data collected from parents for the first time. TIMSS Advanced, previously conducted in 1995 and 2008, was also conducted in 2015, and assessed final-year secondary students' achievement in advanced mathematics and physics. Policy-relevant data about curriculum emphasis, technology use, and teacher preparation and training accompanies the TIMSS Advanced results.

The seventh cycle of TIMSS was conducted in 2019 and marked the beginning of the transition to a digital assessment format, with the digital assessment administered to half of participating countries, and the paper assessment administered to the remaining half. 64 countries and 8 benchmarking systems participating in TIMSS 2019. Results were released in December 2020.

Method, data and documentation

Along with the overall students' achievement data, TIMSS comprehensive assessments include data on student performance in various mathematics and science domains (algebra, geometry, biology, chemistry, etc.) and on performance in the problem solving challenges in each of these contexts. In addition, TIMSS provides contextual data on crucial curricular, instructional, and resource-related factors that can impact the teaching and learning process. These data are gathered using student, teacher, school, and curriculum (national) questionnaires filled out by students, teachers, school principals and National Research Coordinators, respectively.

According to the TIMSS 2019 Assessment Frameworks, "The TIMSS mathematics and science achievement scales were created with the first TIMSS assessment in 1995, separately for each subject and each grade. The scale units were established so that 100 points on the scale was equivalent to one standard deviation of the distribution of achievement across all of the countries that participated in TIMSS 1995, and the scale midpoint of 500 was located at the mean of this international achievement distribution. The TIMSS achievement scales were first used for reporting TIMSS results with TIMSS 1995, and all results from subsequent TIMSS assessments have been reported on the same scale metrics, making it possible to measure growth or decline in countries' achievement distributions from assessment to assessment."

Because TIMSS is administered in four-year cycles, it enables participating counties to use the results between the fourth and eighth grades to track the changes in achievement and certain background factors from an earlier study. For example, results of the fourth grade in TIMSS 1995 can be compared with the results of the eighth grade in TIMSS 1999, as fourth graders had become eighth graders in the next cycle of study.

The collected information is presented in different formats. For example, for TIMSS 2019 the results are presented as TIMSS 2019 International Results in Mathematics and Science TIMSS 2019 International Results in Mathematics and Science. The TIMSS 2019 Encyclopedia provides an overview of how mathematics and science are taught in each participating country. Methods and Procedures: TIMSS 2019 Technical Report documents the development of the TIMSS assessments and questionnaires, and describes the methods used. The TIMSS 2019 User Guide for the International Database describes the content and format of the data in the TIMSS 2019 International Database

The IEA has developed an application for working with data from TIMSS and other IEA large-scale assessments called the IEA International Database (IDB) Analyzer. This application allows researchers to combine data files and facilitates some types of statistical analysis (such as computing means, percentages, percentiles, correlations, and estimating single level multiple linear regression). The application takes into account the complex sample structure of the databases when calculating the statistics and their standard errors. It also allows researchers to estimate achievement scores and their standard errors.

For an overview of the IEA study results and interpretation of information, see IEA's Data Visualizer.

Cycles

TIMSS 2027 Assessment

The official TIMSS 2027 Assessment Frameworks for mathematics and science have been released, providing a detailed blueprint for how the upcoming assessment cycle will be designed and implemented. These frameworks outline the content domains, cognitive domains, and performance expectations for participating grade levels. Compared with previous cycles, they reflect refinements in topic emphasis, updated learning progressions, and stronger alignment with contemporary curricula. In addition, the frameworks include revised contextual questionnaires for students, teachers, and school leaders, aimed at capturing richer background data on instructional practices, school environments, and learning conditions.

In the United States, the Department of Education opened a public comment period in late 2025 to solicit feedback on proposed revisions to the TIMSS 2027 international questionnaires.

TIMSS 2023

TIMSS 2023 was the eighth cycle of TIMSS and reported overall achievement as well as results according to international benchmarks, by major content domains (number, algebra, and geometry in mathematics, and earth science, biology, and chemistry in science) and by cognitive domains (knowing, applying, reasoning). TIMSS 2023 collected detailed information about curriculum and curriculum implementation of participating countries and published this information the TIMSS 2023 Encyclopedia: Education Policy and Curriculum in Mathematics and Science.

TIMSS 2023 results are summarized in TIMSS 2023 International Results in Mathematics and Science.".This detailed report presents achievement and contextual data from participating countries and benchmarking entities. The TIMSS 2023 Encyclopedia: Education Policy and Curriculum in Mathematics and Science describes various features of the education systems in each participating country, including the mathematics and science curriculum, professional development requirements for teachers, and methods of monitoring student progress in mathematics and science. Each country's "chapter" in the encyclopedia was authored by that country's TIMSS representative.

England and other countries have analysing their TIMSS 2023 results to understand how student achievement in mathematics and science has evolved since the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In England's case, analysis published in late 2024 and updated in 2025 points to a recovery in average mathematics performance to pre-pandemic levels, as well as notable increases in science scores for both primary (Year 5) and lower secondary (Year 9) students when compared with TIMSS 2019 results. This suggests that schools and students have shown resilience following substantial interruptions to teaching and learning during the pandemic.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 605 11 points 2 Chinese Taipei 602 10 points 3 South Korea 596 11 points 4 Japan 595 1 point 5 Hong Kong 575 3 points 6 England 525 10 points 7 Ireland 522 2 points 8 Czech Republic 518 N/A 9 Sweden 517 14 points 10 Lithuania 514 6 points 11 Austria 512 N/A 12 Australia 509 8 points 13 Turkey 509 13 points 14 Hungary 506 11 points 15 Finland 504 5 points 16 Norway 501 2 points 17 Italy 501 4 points International average 500 18 Malta 499 N/A 19 Romania 496 17 points 20 Cyprus 494 7 points 21 United Arab Emirates 489 16 points 22 United States 488 27 points 23 New Zealand 485 14 points 24 Israel 487 32 points 25 Azerbaijan 479 N/A 26 France 479 4 points 27 Portugal 475 25 points 28 Georgia 467 6 points 29 Kazakhstan 454 34 points 30 Qatar 451 8 points 31 Bahrain 426 55 points 32 Iran 423 23 points 33 Uzbekistan 421 NA 34 Chile 416 25 points 35 Oman 411 0 36 Malaysia 411 50 points 37 Kuwait 399 4 points 38 Saudi Arabia 397 3 points 39 South Africa 397 8 points 40 Jordan 388 32 points 41 Palestine 382 N/A 42 Brazil 378 N/A 43 Morocco 388 10 points 44 Ivory Coast 263 N/A Benchmarking participants – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 546 9 points – Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) 499 NA – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 454 18 points

Science
Rank	Country	Average scale score	Change over 4 years
1	Singapore	606	2 points
2	Chinese Taipei	572	2 points
3	Japan	557	13 points
4	South Korea	545	16 points
5	England	531	14 points
6	Finland	531	13 points
7	Turkey	530	15 points
8	Hong Kong	528	3 points
9	Czech Republic	527	NA
10	Ireland	525	2 points
11	Hungary	522	8 points
12	Sweden	521	0 points
13	Australia	520	8 points
14	Lithuania	519	15 points
15	United States	513	9 points
16	Austria	512	N/A
17	Portugal	506	13 points
18	New Zealand	502	3 points
19	Malta	501	N/A
20	Italy	501	1 point
International average		500
21	Norway	488	7 points
22	United Arab Emirates	486	13 points
23	France	486	3 points
24	Qatar	481	5 points
25	Israel	481	32 points
26	Romania	466	4 points
27	Cyprus	475	20 points
28	Oman	456	1 point
29	Chile	455	7 points
30	Bahrain	452	34 points
31	Georgia	448	1 points
32	Kazakhstan	443	35 points
33	Malaysia	426	34 points
34	Brazil	420	N/A
35	Kuwait	420	24 points
36	Saudi Arabia	419	12 points
37	Iran	419	30 points
38	Jordan	413	39 points
39	Azerbaijan	411	N/A
40	Uzbekistan	396	N/A
41	Palestine	393	N/A
42	South Africa	362	8 points
43	Morocco	327	67 points
44	Ivory Coast	186	N/A
Benchmarking participants
–	Dubai (United Arab Emirates)	547	10 points
–	Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)	499	23 points
–	Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)	443	23 points

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 615 10 points 2 Chinese Taipei 607 8 points 3 South Korea 594 N/A 4 Hong Kong 594 8 points 5 Japan 591 2 points 6 Macau 582 N/A 7 Lithuania 561 19 points 8 Turkey 553 30 points 9 England 552 4 point 10 Poland 546 26 points 11 Ireland 546 2 points 12 Romania 542 N/A 13 Netherlands 537 1 points 14 Latvia 534 12 points 15 Norway 531 12 points 16 Czech Republic 530 3 points 17 Sweden 530 9 points 18 Bulgaria 530 15 points 19 Finland 529 3 points 20 Australia 525 9 points 21 Germany 524 3 points 22 Denmark 524 1 points 23 Serbia 523 15 points 24 Belgium(Flemish) 521 11 points 25 Hungary 520 3 point 26 Portugal 517 8 points 27 United States 517 18 point 28 Cyprus 516 16 points 29 Slovakia 515 5 points 30 Slovenia 514 N/A 31 Italy 513 2 points 31 Armenia 513 15 point 33 Albania 512 18 points 34 Canada 504 8 points International average 500 34 Spain 498 4 points 36 United Arab Emirates 498 17 points 37 Georgia 498 17 points 38 Azerbaijan 494 N/A 39 New Zealand 490 3 points 40 Belgium(French) 487 N/A 41 Kazakhstan 487 25 points 42 France 484 1 points 43 Montenegro 477 5 points 44 North Macedonia 474 2 points 45 Qatar 464 15 points 46 Bahrain 462 18 points 47 Kosovo 451 2 points 48 Belize 447 5 points 49 Chile 444 3 points 50 Uzbekistan 443 N/A 51 Jordan 427 N/A 52 Oman 421 10 points 53 Iran 420 23 points 54 Saudi Arabia 420 23 points 55 Brazil 400 N/A 56 Morocco 393 10 points 57 Kuwait 382 1 points 58 South Africa 362 12 points Benchmarking participants – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 557 13 points – Quebec (Canada) 515 17 points – Sharjah (UAE) 504 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 503 9 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 459 22 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 607 2 South Korea 583 3 Chinese Taipei 573 4 Turkey 570 5 England 556 6 Japan 555 7 Poland 550 8 Australia 550 9 Hong Kong 545 10 Finland 542 11 Lithuania 537 12 Macau 536 13 Sweden 533 14 Ireland 532 15 United States 532 16 Norway 530 17 Bulgaria 530 18 Romania 526 19 Czech Republic 526 20 Slovenia 526 21 Latvia 526 22 Hungary 524 22 Denmark 522 24 Canada 521 24 Slovakia 521 26 New Zealand 517 26 Netherlands 517 26 Germany 515 29 Portugal 511 30 Italy 511 30 Serbia 510 32 Spain 504 International average 500 33 United Arab Emirates 495 34 Albania 491 35 Belgium (Flemish) 599 36 France 488 37 Cyprus 487 38 Belgium(French) 481 39 Chile 479 40 Bahrain 475 41 Qatar 472 42 Kazakhstan 467 43 Georgia 465 44 Montenegro 461 45 Armenia 457 46 Belize 448 47 North Macedonia 439 48 Oman 433 49 Iran 432 50 Saudi Arabia 429 51 Brazil 425 52 Azerbaijan 422 53 Jordan 418 54 Uzbekistan 412 55 Kosovo 403 56 Morocco 390 57 Kuwait 373 58 South Africa 308 Benchmarking participants – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 562 – Ontario (Canada) 525 – Quebec (Canada) 508 – Sharjah (UAE) 503 – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 446

TIMSS 2019

TIMSS 2019 marked the transition to a digital assessment format, allowing for new and innovative item types. In the digital assessment, students solved problems by interacting with shapes and patterns, arranging items on the screen, dragging and dropping items, and drawing. The digital version of TIMSS 2019 also introduced Problem Solving and Inquiry tasks that simulated real-world and laboratory situations and called for students to integrate and apply process skills and content knowledge. Half of the participating countries took the paper version of TIMSS and half of the participating countries took the digital version of TIMSS.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 616 5 points 2 Chinese Taipei 612 13 points 3 South Korea 607 1 point 4 Japan 594 8 points 5 Hong Kong 578 16 points 6 Russia 543 5 points 7 Ireland 524 1 point 8 Lithuania 520 9 points 9 Israel 519 8 points 10 Australia 517 12 points 11 Hungary 517 3 points 12 United States 515 3 points 12 England 515 3 points 14 Finland 509 N/A 15 Norway 503 9 points 15 Sweden 503 2 points 17 Cyprus 501 N/A 18 Portugal 500 N/A International average 500 19 Italy 497 3 points 20 Turkey 496 38 points 21 Kazakhstan 488 40 points 22 France 483 N/A 23 New Zealand 482 11 points 24 Bahrain 481 27 points 25 Romania 479 N/A 26 United Arab Emirates 473 8 points 27 Georgia 461 8 points 27 Malaysia 461 4 points 29 Iran 446 8 points 30 Qatar 443 6 points 31 Chile 441 14 points 32 Lebanon 429 13 points 33 Jordan 420 34 points 34 Egypt 413 21 points 35 Oman 411 8 points 36 Kuwait 403 11 points 37 Saudi Arabia 394 26 points 38 South Africa 389 17 points 39 Morocco 388 4 points Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 575 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 543 – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 537 25 points – Ontario (Canada) 530 8 points – Western Cape (South Africa) 441 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 436 6 points – Gauteng (South Africa) 421 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 608 11 points 2 Chinese Taipei 574 5 points 3 Japan 570 1 point 4 South Korea 561 5 points 5 Russia 543 1 point 5 Finland 543 N/A 7 Lithuania 534 15 points 8 Hungary 530 3 points 9 Australia 528 16 points 10 Ireland 523 7 points 11 United States 522 8 points 12 Sweden 521 1 point 13 Portugal 519 N/A 14 England 517 20 points 15 Turkey 515 22 points 16 Israel 513 6 points 17 Hong Kong 504 42 points 18 Italy 500 1 point International average 500 19 New Zealand 499 14 points 20 Norway 495 14 points 21 France 489 N/A 22 Bahrain 486 20 points 23 Cyprus 484 N/A 24 Kazakhstan 478 55 points 25 Qatar 475 18 points 26 United Arab Emirates 473 4 points 27 Romania 470 N/A 28 Chile 462 8 points 29 Malaysia 460 11 points 30 Oman 457 2 points 31 Jordan 452 26 points 32 Iran 449 7 points 33 Georgia 447 4 points 34 Kuwait 444 33 points 35 Saudi Arabia 431 35 points 36 Morocco 394 1 point 37 Egypt 389 18 points 38 Lebanon 377 21 points 39 South Africa 370 12 points Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 567 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 548 18 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 537 12 points – Ontario (Canada) 522 2 points – Western Cape (South Africa) 439 N/A – Gauteng (South Africa) 422 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 420 34 points

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 615 7 points 2 Chinese Taipei 607 13 points 3 South Korea 594 8 points 4 Hong Kong 594 2 points 5 Japan 591 6 Macau 582 3 points 7 Lithuania 561 4 points 8 Turkey 553 10 points 9 England 552 1 point 10 Poland 546 N/A 11 Ireland 546 6 points 12 Romania 542 7 points 13 Netherlands 537 N/A 14 Latvia 534 8 points 15 Norway 531 4 points 16 Czech Republic 530 5 points 17 Sweden ' 532 14 points 17 Bulgaria 530 9 points 17 Finland 529 3 points 20 Australia 525 16 points 20 Germany 524 14 points 22 Denmark 524 6 points 22 Serbia 523 N/A 24 Belgium"Flanders" 521 2 points 24 Germany 521 1 point 26 Poland 520 15 points 27 Australia 516 1 point 28 Azerbaijan 515 N/A 28 Bulgaria 515 9 points 28 Italy 515 8 points 31 Kazakhstan 512 32 points 31 Canada 512 1 point 33 Slovakia 510 12 points 34 Croatia 509 7 points 34 Malta 509 N/A 36 Serbia 508 10 points 37 Spain 502 3 points International average 500 38 Armenia 498 N/A 39 Albania 494 N/A 40 New Zealand 487 4 points 41 France 485 3 points 42 Georgia 482 19 points 43 United Arab Emirates 481 29 points 44 Bahrain 480 29 points 45 North Macedonia 472 N/A 46 Montenegro 453 N/A 47 Bosnia and Herzegovina 452 N/A 48 Qatar 449 10 points 49 Kosovo 444 N/A 50 Iran 443 12 points 51 Chile 441 18 points 52 Oman 431 6 points 53 Saudi Arabia 398 15 points 54 Morocco 383 6 points 54 Kuwait 383 30 points 56 South Africa 374 2 points 57 Pakistan 328 N/A 58 Philippines 297 N/A Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 593 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 544 33 points – Quebec (Canada) 532 4 points – Madrid (Spain) 518 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 512 – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 441 22 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 595 5 points 2 South Korea 588 1 point 3 Russia 567 4 Japan 562 7 points 5 Chinese Taipei 558 3 points 6 Finland 555 1 point 7 Latvia 542 N/A 8 Norway 539 1 point 8 United States 539 7 points 10 Lithuania 538 10 points 11 Sweden 537 3 points 11 England 537 1 point 13 Czech Republic 534 14 Australia 533 9 points 15 Hong Kong 531 26 points 15 Poland 531 16 points 17 Hungary 529 13 points 18 Ireland 528 1 point 19 Turkey 526 N/A 20 Croatia 524 9 points 21 Canada 523 2 points 22 Denmark 522 5 points 22 Austria 522 N/A 24 Bulgaria 521 15 points 24 Slovakia 521 1 point 26 Northern Ireland 518 2 points 26 Netherlands 518 1 point 26 Germany 518 10 points 29 Serbia 517 8 points 30 Cyprus 511 30 points 30 Spain 511 7 points 32 Italy 510 6 points 33 Portugal 504 4 points 34 New Zealand 503 3 points 35 Belgium (Flemish) 501 11 points International average 500 36 Malta 496 N/A 37 Kazakhstan 494 56 points 38 Bahrain 493 34 points 39 Albania 489 N/A 40 France 488 1 point 41 United Arab Emirates 473 22 points 42 Chile 469 9 points 43 Armenia 466 N/A 44 Bosnia and Herzegovina 459 N/A 45 Georgia 454 3 points 46 Montenegro 453 N/A 47 Qatar 449 13 points 48 Iran 441 20 points 49 Oman 435 4 points 50 Azerbaijan 427 N/A 51 North Macedonia 426 N/A 52 Kosovo 413 N/A 53 Saudi Arabia 402 12 points 54 Kuwait 392 55 points 54 Morocco 374 17 points 56 South Africa 324 N/A 57 Pakistan 290 N/A 58 Philippines 249 N/A Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 595 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 545 27 points – Ontario (Canada) 524 6 points – Madrid (Spain) 523 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 522 3 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 418 3 points

TIMSS 2015

In TIMSS 2015, nationally representative samples of students in 57 countries and 7 benchmarking entities participated in the fourth grade assessment, the eighth grade assessment, or both.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 621 10 points 2 South Korea 606 7 points 3 Chinese Taipei 599 10 points 4 Hong Kong 594 8 points 5 Japan 586 16 points 6 Russia 538 1 point 7 Kazakhstan 528 41 points 8 Canada 527 N/A 9 Ireland 523 N/A 10 United States 518 9 points 10 England 518 11 points 12 Slovenia 516 11 points 13 Hungary 514 9 points 14 Norway 512 N/A 15 Lithuania 511 9 points 15 Israel 511 5 points 17 Australia 505 18 Sweden 501 17 points International average 500 19 Italy 494 4 points 19 Malta 494 N/A 21 New Zealand 493 5 points 22 Malaysia 465 25 points 23 United Arab Emirates 465 9 points 24 Turkey 458 6 points 25 Bahrain 454 45 points 26 Georgia 453 22 points 27 Lebanon 442 7 points 28 Qatar 437 27 points 29 Iran 436 21 points 30 Thailand 431 4 points 31 Chile 427 11 points 32 Oman 403 37 points 33 Kuwait 392 N/A 33 Egypt 392 N/A 35 Botswana 391 6 points 36 Jordan 386 20 points 37 Morocco 384 13 points 38 South Africa 372 20 points 39 Saudi Arabia 368 26 points Benchmarking participants – Quebec (Canada) 543 11 points – Ontario (Canada) 522 10 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 512 34 points – Florida (United States) 493 20 points – Norway 487 12 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 442 7 points – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 396 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 597 7 points 2 Japan 571 13 points 3 Chinese Taipei 569 5 points 4 South Korea 556 4 points 5 Slovenia 551 8 points 6 Hong Kong 546 11 points 7 Russia 544 2 points 8 England 537 4 points 9 Kazakhstan 533 43 points 10 Ireland 530 N/A 10 United States 530 5 points 12 Hungary 527 5 points 13 Canada 526 N/A 14 Sweden 522 13 points 15 Lithuania 519 5 points 16 New Zealand 513 1 point 17 Australia 512 7 points 18 Norway 509 N/A 19 Israel 507 9 points International average 500 20 Italy 499 2 points 21 Turkey 493 10 points 22 Malta 481 N/A 23 United Arab Emirates 477 12 points 24 Malaysia 471 45 points 25 Bahrain 466 14 points 26 Qatar 457 38 points 27 Iran 456 18 points 27 Thailand 456 5 points 29 Oman 455 35 points 30 Chile 454 7 points 31 Georgia 443 23 points 32 Jordan 426 23 points 33 Kuwait 411 N/A 34 Lebanon 398 8 points 35 Saudi Arabia 396 40 points 36 Morocco 393 17 points 37 Botswana 392 12 points 38 Egypt 371 N/A 39 South Africa 358 26 points Benchmarking participants – Quebec (Canada) 530 10 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 525 40 points – Ontario (Canada) 524 3 points – Florida (United States) 508 22 points – Norway 489 5 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 454 7 points – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 386 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 618 12 points 2 Hong Kong 615 13 points 3 South Korea 608 3 points 4 Chinese Taipei 597 6 points 5 Japan 593 8 points 6 Northern Ireland 570 8 points 7 Russia 564 22 points 8 Norway 549 N/A 9 Ireland 547 20 points 10 England 546 4 points 10 Belgium (Flemish) 546 3 points 12 Kazakhstan 544 43 points 13 Portugal 541 9 points 14 United States 539 2 points 14 Denmark 539 2 points 16 Lithuania 535 1 point 16 Finland 535 10 points 16 Poland 535 54 points 19 Netherlands 530 10 points 20 Hungary 529 14 points 21 Czech Republic 528 17 points 22 Bulgaria 524 N/A 23 Cyprus 523 N/A 24 Germany 522 6 points 25 Slovenia 520 7 points 26 Sweden 519 15 points 27 Serbia 518 2 points 28 Australia 517 1 point 29 Canada 511 N/A 30 Italy 507 1 point 31 Spain 505 23 points 32 Croatia 502 12 points International average 500 33 Slovakia 498 9 points 34 New Zealand 491 5 points 35 France 488 N/A 36 Turkey 483 14 points 37 Georgia 463 13 points 38 Chile 459 3 points 39 United Arab Emirates 452 18 points 40 Bahrain 451 15 points 41 Qatar 439 26 points 42 Iran 431 43 Oman 425 40 points 44 Indonesia 397 N/A 45 Jordan 388 N/A 46 Saudi Arabia 383 27 points 47 Morocco 377 42 points 48 South Africa 376 N/A 49 Kuwait 353 11 points Benchmarking participants – Florida (United States) 546 1 point – Quebec (Canada) 536 3 points – Ontario (Canada) 512 6 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 511 43 points – Norway 493 2 points – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 432 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 419 2 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 590 7 points 2 South Korea 589 2 points 3 Japan 569 10 points 4 Russia 567 15 points 5 Hong Kong 557 22 points 6 Chinese Taipei 555 3 points 7 Finland 554 16 points 8 Kazakhstan 550 55 points 9 Poland 547 42 points 10 United States 546 2 points 11 Slovenia 543 23 points 12 Hungary 542 8 points 13 Sweden 540 7 points 14 Norway 538 N/A 15 England 536 7 points 15 Bulgaria 536 N/A 17 Czech Republic 534 2 points 18 Croatia 533 17 points 19 Ireland 529 13 points 20 Germany 528 20 Lithuania 528 13 points 22 Denmark 527 1 point 23 Canada 525 N/A 23 Serbia 525 9 points 25 Australia 524 8 points 26 Slovakia 520 12 points 26 Northern Ireland 520 3 points 28 Spain 518 13 points 29 Netherlands 517 14 points 30 Italy 516 8 points 31 Belgium (Flemish) 512 3 points 32 Portugal 508 14 points 33 New Zealand 506 9 points International average 500 34 France 487 N/A 35 Turkey 483 20 points 36 Cyprus 481 N/A 37 Chile 478 2 points 38 Bahrain 459 10 points 39 Georgia 451 4 points 39 United Arab Emirates 451 23 points 41 Qatar 436 42 points 42 Oman 431 54 points 43 Iran 421 32 points 44 Indonesia 397 N/A 45 Saudi Arabia 390 39 points 46 Morocco 357 93 points 47 Kuwait 337 10 points Benchmarking participants – Florida (United States) 549 4 points – Ontario (Canada) 530 2 points – Quebec (Canada) 525 9 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 518 57 points – Norway 493 1 point – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 418 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 415 4 points

TIMSS 2011

TIMSS 2011 had 52 participating educational systems for the fourth grade and 45 for the eighth grade.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 South Korea 613 16 points 2 Singapore 611 18 points 3 Chinese Taipei 609 11 points 4 Hong Kong 586 14 points 5 Japan 570 6 Russia 539 27 points 7 Israel 516 53 points 8 Finland 514 N/A 9 United States 509 1 point 10 England 507 6 points 11 Hungary 505 12 points 11 Australia 505 9 points 11 Slovenia 505 4 points 14 Lithuania 502 4 points International average 500 15 Italy 498 18 points 16 New Zealand 488 N/A 17 Kazakhstan 487 N/A 18 Sweden 484 7 points 19 Ukraine 479 17 points 20 Norway 475 6 points 21 Armenia 467 32 points 22 Romania 458 3 points 23 United Arab Emirates 456 N/A 24 Turkey 452 20 points 25 Lebanon 449 26 Malaysia 440 34 points 27 Georgia 431 21 points 28 Thailand 427 14 points 29 Republic of Macedonia 426 N/A 30 Tunisia 425 5 points 31 Chile 416 N/A 32 Iran 415 12 points 33 Qatar 410 103 points 34 Bahrain 409 N/A 35 Jordan 406 21 points 36 Palestine 404 37 points 37 Saudi Arabia 394 65 points 38 Indonesia 386 11 points 39 Syria 380 15 points 40 Morocco 371 10 points 41 Oman 366 6 points 42 Ghana 331 22 points Ninth grade participants – Botswana 397 N/A – South Africa 352 N/A – Honduras 338 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 561 14 points – Minnesota (United States) 545 13 points – North Carolina (United States) 537 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 532 4 points – Indiana (United States) 522 N/A – Colorado (United States) 518 N/A – Connecticut (United States) 518 N/A – Florida (United States) 513 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 512 5 points – Alberta (Canada) 505 N/A – California (United States) 493 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 478 17 points – Alabama (United States) 466 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 449 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 590 23 points 2 Chinese Taipei 564 3 points 3 South Korea 560 7 points 4 Japan 558 4 points 5 Finland 552 N/A 6 Slovenia 543 5 points 7 Russia 542 12 points 8 Hong Kong 535 5 points 9 England 533 9 points 10 United States 525 5 points 11 Hungary 522 17 points 12 Australia 519 4 points 13 Israel 516 48 points 14 Lithuania 514 5 points 15 New Zealand 512 N/A 16 Sweden 509 2 points 17 Italy 501 6 points 17 Ukraine 501 16 points International average 500 19 Norway 494 7 points 20 Kazakhstan 490 N/A 21 Turkey 483 29 points 22 Iran 474 15 points 23 Romania 465 3 points 23 United Arab Emirates 465 N/A 25 Chile 461 N/A 26 Bahrain 452 N/A 27 Thailand 451 20 points 28 Jordan 449 33 points 29 Tunisia 439 6 points 30 Armenia 437 51 points 31 Saudi Arabia 436 33 points 32 Malaysia 426 45 points 32 Syria 426 26 points 34 Palestine 420 16 points 34 Georgia 420 1 point 34 Oman 420 3 points 37 Qatar 419 100 points 38 Republic of Macedonia 407 N/A 39 Lebanon 406 8 points 39 Indonesia 406 21 points 41 Morocco 376 26 points 42 Ghana 306 3 points Ninth grade participants – Botswana 404 N/A – Honduras 369 N/A – South Africa 332 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 567 11 points – Minnesota (United States) 553 14 points – Alberta (Canada) 546 N/A – Colorado (United States) 542 N/A – Indiana (United States) 533 N/A – Connecticut (United States) 532 N/A – North Carolina (United States) 532 N/A – Florida (United States) 530 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 521 5 points – Quebec (Canada) 520 6 points – California (United States) 499 N/A – Alabama (United States) 485 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 485 4 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 461 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 606 7 points 2 South Korea 605 N/A 3 Hong Kong 602 5 points 4 Chinese Taipei 591 15 points 5 Japan 585 17 points 6 Northern Ireland 562 N/A 7 Belgium (Flemish) 549 N/A 8 Finland 545 N/A 9 England 542 1 point 9 Russia 542 2 points 11 United States 541 12 points 12 Netherlands 540 5 points 13 Denmark 537 14 points 14 Lithuania 534 4 points 15 Portugal 532 N/A 16 Germany 528 3 points 17 Ireland 527 N/A 18 Serbia 516 N/A 18 Australia 516 20 Hungary 515 5 points 21 Slovenia 513 11 points 22 Czech Republic 511 25 points 23 Austria 508 3 points 23 Italy 508 1 point 25 Slovakia 507 11 points 26 Sweden 504 1 point 27 Kazakhstan 501 48 points International average 500 28 Malta 496 N/A 29 Norway 495 22 points 30 Croatia 490 N/A 31 New Zealand 486 6 points 32 Spain 482 N/A 32 Romania 482 N/A 34 Poland 481 N/A 35 Turkey 469 N/A 36 Azerbaijan 463 N/A 37 Chile 462 N/A 38 Thailand 458 N/A 39 Armenia 452 48 points 40 Georgia 450 12 points 41 Bahrain 436 N/A 42 United Arab Emirates 434 N/A 43 Iran 431 29 points 44 Qatar 413 117 points 45 Saudi Arabia 410 N/A 46 Oman 385 N/A 47 Tunisia 359 32 points 48 Kuwait 342 26 points 49 Morocco 335 6 points 50 Yemen 248 24 points Sixth grade participants – Botswana 419 N/A – Honduras 396 N/A – Yemen 348 N/A Benchmarking participants – North Carolina (United States) 554 N/A – Florida (United States) 545 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 533 14 points – Ontario (Canada) 518 6 points – Alberta (Canada) 507 2 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 468 24 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 417 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 South Korea 587 N/A 2 Singapore 583 4 points 3 Finland 570 N/A 4 Japan 559 11 points 5 Russia 552 6 points 5 Chinese Taipei 552 5 points 7 United States 544 5 points 8 Czech Republic 536 21 points 9 Hong Kong 535 19 points 10 Hungary 534 2 points 11 Sweden 533 8 points 12 Slovakia 532 6 points 12 Austria 532 6 points 14 Netherlands 531 8 points 15 England 529 13 points 16 Denmark 528 11 points 16 Germany 528 18 Italy 524 11 points 19 Portugal 522 N/A 20 Slovenia 520 2 points 21 Northern Ireland 517 N/A 22 Ireland 516 N/A 22 Croatia 516 N/A 22 Australia 516 11 points 22 Serbia 516 N/A 26 Lithuania 515 1 point 27 Belgium (Flemish) 509 N/A 28 Romania 505 N/A 28 Spain 505 N/A 28 Poland 505 N/A International average 500 31 New Zealand 497 7 points 32 Kazakhstan 495 38 points 33 Norway 494 17 points 34 Chile 480 N/A 35 Thailand 472 N/A 36 Turkey 463 N/A 37 Georgia 455 37 points 38 Iran 453 17 points 39 Bahrain 449 N/A 40 Malta 446 N/A 41 Azerbaijan 438 N/A 42 Saudi Arabia 429 N/A 43 United Arab Emirates 428 N/A 44 Armenia 416 68 points 45 Qatar 394 100 points 46 Oman 377 N/A 47 Kuwait 347 1 point 48 Tunisia 346 28 points 49 Morocco 264 33 points 50 Yemen 209 12 points Sixth grade participants – Honduras 432 N/A – Botswana 367 N/A – Yemen 345 N/A Benchmarking participants – Florida (United States) 545 N/A – Alberta (Canada) 541 2 points – North Carolina (United States) 538 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 528 8 points – Quebec (Canada) 516 1 point – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 461 1 point – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 411 N/A

TIMSS 2007

In TIMSS 2007, 43 educational systems participated in the fourth grade and 56 educational systems in the eighth grade.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Chinese Taipei 598 13 points 2 South Korea 597 8 points 3 Singapore 593 12 points 4 Hong Kong 572 14 points 5 Japan 570 6 Hungary 517 12 points 7 England 513 N/A 8 Russia 512 4 points 9 United States 508 4 points 10 Lithuania 506 4 points 11 Czech Republic 504 N/A 12 Slovenia 501 8 points International average 500 33 points 13 Armenia 499 21 points 14 Australia 496 9 points 15 Sweden 491 8 points 16 Malta 488 N/A 17 Scotland 487 11 points 18 Serbia 486 9 points 19 Italy 480 4 points 20 Malaysia 474 34 points 21 Norway 469 8 points 22 Cyprus 465 6 points 23 Bulgaria 464 12 points 24 Israel 463 33 points 25 Ukraine 462 N/A 26 Romania 461 14 points 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 456 N/A 28 Lebanon 449 16 points 29 Thailand 441 N/A 30 Turkey 432 N/A 31 Jordan 427 3 points 32 Tunisia 420 10 points 33 Georgia 410 N/A 34 Iran 403 8 points 35 Bahrain 398 3 points 36 Indonesia 397 14 points 37 Syria 395 N/A 38 Egypt 391 N/A 39 Algeria 387 N/A 40 Morocco 381 6 points 41 Colombia 380 N/A 42 Oman 372 N/A 43 Palestine 367 23 points 44 Botswana 364 2 points 45 Kuwait 354 N/A 46 El Salvador 340 N/A 47 Saudi Arabia 329 3 points 48 Ghana 309 33 points 49 Qatar 307 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 547 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 532 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 528 15 points – Ontario (Canada) 517 4 points – British Columbia (Canada) 509 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 499 12 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 461 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 567 11 points 2 Chinese Taipei 561 10 points 3 Japan 554 2 points 4 South Korea 553 5 points 5 England 542 N/A 6 Hungary 539 4 points 6 Czech Republic 539 N/A 8 Slovenia 538 18 points 9 Hong Kong 530 26 points 9 Russia 530 16 points 11 United States 520 7 points 12 Lithuania 519 13 Australia 515 12 points 14 Sweden 511 13 points International average 500 26 points 15 Scotland 496 16 points 16 Italy 495 4 points 17 Armenia 488 27 points 18 Norway 487 7 points 19 Ukraine 485 N/A 20 Jordan 482 7 points 21 Malaysia 471 39 points 21 Thailand 471 N/A 23 Serbia 470 2 points 23 Bulgaria 470 9 points 25 Israel 468 20 points 26 Bahrain 467 29 points 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 466 N/A 28 Romania 462 8 points 29 Iran 459 6 points 30 Malta 457 N/A 31 Turkey 454 N/A 32 Syria 452 N/A 32 Cyprus 452 11 points 34 Tunisia 445 41 points 35 Indonesia 427 7 points 36 Oman 423 N/A 37 Georgia 421 N/A 38 Kuwait 418 N/A 39 Colombia 417 N/A 40 Lebanon 414 21 points 41 Egypt 408 N/A 41 Algeria 408 N/A 43 Palestine 404 31 points 44 Saudi Arabia 403 5 points 45 Morocco 402 6 points 46 El Salvador 387 N/A 47 Botswana 355 10 points 48 Qatar 319 N/A 49 Ghana 303 48 points Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 556 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 539 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 526 5 points – Ontario (Canada) 526 7 points – British Columbia (Canada) 507 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 498 9 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 489 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Hong Kong 607 32 points 2 Singapore 599 5 points 3 Chinese Taipei 576 12 points 4 Japan 568 3 points 5 Kazakhstan 549 N/A 6 Russia 544 12 points 7 England 541 10 points 8 Latvia 537 1 point 9 Netherlands 535 5 points 10 Lithuania 530 4 points 11 United States 529 11 points 12 Germany 525 N/A 13 Denmark 523 N/A 14 Australia 516 17 points 15 Hungary 510 19 points 16 Italy 507 4 points 17 Austria 505 N/A 18 Sweden 503 N/A 19 Slovenia 502 23 points International average 500 5 points 20 Armenia 500 44 points 21 Slovakia 496 N/A 22 Scotland 494 4 points 23 New Zealand 492 1 point 24 Czech Republic 486 N/A 25 Norway 473 22 points 26 Ukraine 469 N/A 27 Georgia 438 N/A 28 Iran 402 13 points 29 Algeria 378 N/A 30 Colombia 355 N/A 31 Morocco 341 6 points 32 El Salvador 330 N/A 33 Tunisia 327 12 points 34 Kuwait 316 N/A 35 Qatar 296 N/A 36 Yemen 224 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 572 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 554 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 519 13 points – Ontario (Canada) 512 1 point – Alberta (Canada) 505 N/A – British Columbia (Canada) 505 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 444 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 587 22 points 2 Chinese Taipei 557 6 points 3 Hong Kong 554 12 points 4 Japan 548 5 points 5 Russia 546 20 points 6 Latvia 542 10 points 6 England 542 2 points 8 United States 539 3 points 9 Hungary 536 6 points 10 Italy 535 19 points 11 Kazakhstan 533 N/A 12 Germany 528 N/A 13 Australia 527 6 points 14 Slovakia 526 N/A 14 Austria 526 N/A 16 Sweden 525 N/A 17 Netherlands 523 2 points 18 Slovenia 518 28 points 19 Denmark 517 N/A 20 Czech Republic 515 N/A 21 Lithuania 514 2 points 22 New Zealand 504 16 points 23 Scotland 500 2 points International average 500 11 points 24 Armenia 484 47 points 25 Norway 477 11 points 26 Ukraine 474 N/A 27 Iran 436 22 points 28 Georgia 418 N/A 29 Colombia 400 N/A 30 El Salvador 390 N/A 31 Algeria 354 N/A 32 Kuwait 348 N/A 33 Tunisia 318 4 points 34 Morocco 297 7 points 35 Qatar 294 N/A 36 Yemen 197 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 571 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 551 N/A – Alberta (Canada) 543 N/A – British Columbia (Canada) 537 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 536 4 points – Quebec (Canada) 517 17 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 460 N/A

TIMSS 2003

In TIMSS 2003, there were 26 educational systems for the fourth grade and 48 for the eighth grade.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 605 1 point 2 South Korea 589 2 points 3 Hong Kong 586 4 points 4 Chinese Taipei 585 5 Japan 570 9 points 6 Belgium (Flemish) 537 21 points 7 Netherlands 536 4 points 8 Estonia 531 N/A 9 Hungary 529 3 points 10 Malaysia 508 11 points 10 Latvia 508 N/A 10 Russia 508 18 points 10 Slovakia 508 26 points 14 Australia 505 20 points 15 United States 504 2 points 16 Lithuania 502 20 points 17 Sweden 499 N/A 18 Scotland 498 N/A 19 Israel 496 30 points 20 New Zealand 494 3 points 21 Slovenia 493 37 points 22 Italy 484 5 points 23 Armenia 478 N/A 24 Serbia 477 N/A 25 Bulgaria 476 35 points 26 Romania 475 3 points International average 467 20 points 27 Norway 461 N/A 28 Moldova 460 9 points 29 Cyprus 459 17 points 30 Republic of Macedonia 435 12 points 31 Lebanon 433 N/A 32 Jordan 424 4 points 33 Iran 411 11 points 33 Indonesia 411 8 points 35 Tunisia 410 38 points 36 Egypt 406 N/A 37 Bahrain 401 N/A 38 Palestine 390 N/A 39 Chile 387 5 points 39 Morocco 387 50 points 41 Philippines 376 31 points 42 Botswana 366 N/A 43 Saudi Arabia 332 N/A 44 Ghana 276 N/A 45 South Africa 264 11 points Ninth grade participants – England 498 N/A Benchmarking participants – Quebec (Canada) 543 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 521 N/A – Indiana (United States) 508 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 487 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 578 10 points 2 Chinese Taipei 571 2 points 3 South Korea 558 9 points 4 Hong Kong 556 26 points 5 Estonia 552 N/A 5 Japan 552 2 points 7 Hungary 543 9 points 8 Netherlands 536 9 points 9 United States 527 12 points 9 Australia 527 13 points 11 Sweden 524 N/A 12 Slovenia 520 13 points 12 New Zealand 520 10 points 14 Lithuania 519 31 points 15 Slovakia 517 18 points 16 Belgium (Flemish) 516 19 points 17 Russia 514 15 points 18 Latvia 512 N/A 18 Scotland 512 N/A 20 Malaysia 510 18 points 21 Norway 494 N/A 22 Italy 491 2 points 23 Israel 488 20 points 24 Bulgaria 479 39 points 25 Jordan 475 25 points International average 474 14 points 26 Moldova 472 13 points 27 Romania 470 2 points 28 Serbia 468 N/A 29 Armenia 461 N/A 30 Iran 453 5 points 31 Republic of Macedonia 449 9 points 32 Cyprus 441 19 points 33 Bahrain 438 N/A 34 Palestine 435 N/A 35 Egypt 421 N/A 36 Indonesia 420 15 points 37 Chile 413 7 points 38 Tunisia 404 26 points 39 Saudi Arabia 398 N/A 40 Morocco 396 73 points 41 Lebanon 393 N/A 42 Philippines 377 32 points 43 Botswana 365 N/A 44 Ghana 255 N/A 45 South Africa 244 1 point Ninth grade participants – England 544 N/A Benchmarking participants – Ontario (Canada) 533 N/A – Indiana (United States) 531 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 531 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 489 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 8 years 1 Singapore 594 31 points 2 Hong Kong 575 12 points 3 Japan 565 32 points 4 Chinese Taipei 564 N/A 5 Belgium (Flemish) 551 N/A 6 Netherlands 540 37 points 7 Latvia 536 N/A 8 Lithuania 534 N/A 9 Russia 532 N/A 10 England 531 18 points 11 Hungary 529 19 points 12 United States 518 27 points 13 Cyprus 510 8 points 14 Moldova 504 N/A 15 Italy 503 N/A 16 Australia 499 47 points International average 495 34 points 17 New Zealand 493 6 points 18 Scotland 490 30 points 19 Slovenia 479 73 points 20 Armenia 456 N/A 21 Norway 451 51 points 22 Iran 389 40 points 23 Philippines 358 N/A 24 Morocco 347 N/A 25 Tunisia 339 N/A Benchmarking participants – Indiana (United States) 533 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 511 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 506 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 8 years 1 Singapore 565 18 points 2 Chinese Taipei 551 N/A 3 Japan 543 31 points 4 Hong Kong 542 9 points 5 England 540 11 points 6 United States 536 29 points 7 Latvia 532 N/A 8 Hungary 530 2 points 9 Russia 526 N/A 10 Netherlands 525 28 points 11 Australia 521 41 points 12 New Zealand 520 11 points 13 Belgium (Flemish) 518 N/A 14 Italy 516 N/A 15 Lithuania 512 N/A 16 Scotland 502 34 points 17 Moldova 496 N/A 18 Slovenia 490 56 points International average 489 35 points 19 Cyprus 480 5 points 20 Norway 466 64 points 21 Armenia 437 N/A 22 Iran 414 2 points 23 Philippines 332 N/A 24 Tunisia 314 N/A 25 Morocco 304 N/A Benchmarking participants – Indiana (United States) 553 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 540 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 500 N/A

TIMSS 1999

In 1999, TIMSS only focused on the eighth grade in 38 educational systems; there was no study done for the fourth grade in that year.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 604 39 points 2 South Korea 587 20 points 3 Chinese Taipei 585 N/A 4 Hong Kong 582 6 points 5 Japan 579 26 points 6 Belgium (Flemish) 558 7 points 7 Netherlands 540 1 point 8 Slovakia 534 13 points 9 Hungary 532 5 points 10 Canada 531 4 points 11 Slovenia 530 11 points 12 Russia 526 9 points 13 Australia 525 5 points 14 Finland 520 N/A 14 Czech Republic 520 44 points 16 Malaysia 519 N/A 17 Bulgaria 511 29 points 18 Latvia (Latvian) 505 12 points 19 United States 502 2 points 20 England 496 10 points 21 New Zealand 491 17 points International average 487 26 points 22 Lithuania 482 5 points 23 Italy 479 N/A 24 Cyprus 476 2 points 25 Romania 472 10 points 26 Moldova 469 N/A 27 Thailand 467 55 points 28 Israel 466 56 points 29 Tunisia 448 N/A 30 Republic of Macedonia 447 N/A 31 Turkey 429 N/A 32 Jordan 428 N/A 33 Iran 422 6 points 34 Indonesia 403 N/A 35 Chile 392 N/A 36 Philippines 345 N/A 37 Morocco 337 N/A 38 South Africa 275 79 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Chinese Taipei 569 N/A 2 Singapore 568 39 points 3 Hungary 552 2 points 4 Japan 550 21 points 5 South Korea 549 16 points 6 Netherlands 545 15 points 7 Australia 540 5 points 8 Czech Republic 539 35 points 9 England 538 14 points 10 Finland 535 N/A 10 Slovakia 535 9 points 10 Belgium (Flemish) 535 15 points 13 Slovenia 533 27 points 13 Canada 533 2 points 15 Hong Kong 530 8 points 16 Russia 529 9 points 17 Bulgaria 518 47 points 18 United States 515 19 points 19 New Zealand 510 15 points 20 Latvia (Latvian) 503 18 points 21 Italy 493 N/A 22 Malaysia 492 N/A 23 Lithuania 488 12 points International average 488 28 points 24 Thailand 482 43 points 25 Romania 472 14 points 26 Israel 468 56 points 27 Cyprus 460 3 points 28 Moldova 459 N/A 29 Republic of Macedonia 458 N/A 30 Jordan 450 N/A 31 Iran 448 22 points 32 Indonesia 435 N/A 33 Turkey 433 N/A 34 Tunisia 430 N/A 35 Chile 420 N/A 36 Philippines 345 N/A 37 Morocco 323 N/A 38 South Africa 243 83 points

TIMSS 1995

In TIMSS 1995, there were 41 educational systems in five grades (third, fourth, seventh, eighth, and the final year of secondary school).

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score 1 Singapore 643 2 South Korea 607 3 Japan 605 4 Hong Kong 588 5 Belgium (Flemish) 565 6 Czech Republic 564 7 Slovakia 547 8 Switzerland 545 9 Netherlands 541 9 Slovenia 541 11 Bulgaria 540 12 Austria 539 13 France 538 14 Hungary 537 15 Russia 535 16 Australia 530 17 Ireland 527 17 Canada 527 19 Belgium (French) 526 20 Thailand 522 20 Israel 522 22 Sweden 519 International average 513 23 Germany 509 24 New Zealand 508 25 England 506 26 Norway 503 27 Denmark 502 28 United States 500 29 Scotland 498 30 Latvia (Latvian) 493 31 Spain 487 31 Iceland 487 33 Greece 484 34 Romania 482 35 Lithuania 477 36 Cyprus 474 37 Portugal 454 38 Iran 428 39 Kuwait 392 40 Colombia 385 41 South Africa 354

Science Rank Country Average scale score 1 Singapore 607 2 Czech Republic 574 3 Japan 571 4 South Korea 565 4 Bulgaria 565 6 Netherlands 560 6 Slovenia 560 8 Austria 558 9 Hungary 554 10 England 552 11 Belgium (Flemish) 550 12 Australia 545 13 Slovakia 544 14 Russia 538 14 Ireland 538 16 Sweden 535 17 United States 534 18 Germany 531 18 Canada 531 20 Norway 527 21 New Zealand 525 21 Thailand 525 23 Israel 524 24 Hong Kong 522 24 Switzerland 522 26 Scotland 517 26 Spain 517 International average 516 28 France 498 29 Greece 497 30 Iceland 494 31 Romania 486 32 Latvia (Latvian) 485 33 Portugal 480 34 Denmark 478 35 Lithuania 476 36 Belgium (French) 471 37 Iran 470 38 Cyprus 463 39 Kuwait 430 40 Colombia 411 41 South Africa 326

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score 1 Singapore 625 2 South Korea 611 3 Japan 597 4 Hong Kong 587 5 Netherlands 577 6 Czech Republic 567 7 Austria 559 8 Slovenia 552 9 Ireland 550 10 Hungary 548 11 Australia 546 12 United States 545 13 Canada 532 14 Israel 531 International average 529 15 Latvia (Latvian) 525 16 Scotland 520 17 England 513 18 Cyprus 502 18 Norway 502 20 New Zealand 499 21 Greece 492 22 Thailand 490 23 Portugal 475 24 Iceland 474 25 Iran 429 26 Kuwait 400

Science Rank Country Average scale score 1 South Korea 597 2 Japan 574 3 United States 565 3 Austria 565 5 Australia 562 6 Netherlands 557 6 Czech Republic 557 8 England 551 9 Canada 549 10 Singapore 547 11 Slovenia 546 12 Ireland 539 13 Scotland 536 14 Hong Kong 533 15 Hungary 532 16 New Zealand 531 International average 524 17 Norway 530 18 Latvia (Latvian) 512 19 Israel 505 19 Iceland 505 21 Greece 497 22 Portugal 480 23 Cyprus 475 24 Thailand 473 25 Iran 416 26 Kuwait 401

Additional initiatives

The TIMSS 1999 Video Study was a study of eighth-grade mathematics and science teaching in seven countries. The study involved videotaping and analyzing teaching practices in more than one thousand classrooms. In conjunction with the IEA, the study was conducted by the US National Center for Education Statistics, and the US Department of Education under a contract with LessonLab, Inc. of Los Angeles, California.

Cooperative partners

TIMSS depends on the collaboration of a large number of individuals and organizations around the world including the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College, IEA's offices in Amsterdam and Hamburg, Statistics Canada, and Educational Testing Service (ETS). In the United States, TIMSS is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education. Data for US students is further tracked for ethnic and racial groups. TIMSS is mainly funded by the participating countries. Also, the US National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education and the World Bank provide major support funding for the assessments.

United States results by race and ethnicity

Eighth grade

Mathematics
Race	2023	2019	2015	2011	2007	2003	1999	1995
	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score
Asian	580	591	585	568	549	—	—	—
White	516	548	541	530	533	525	525	516
Multiracial	495	540	521	513	506	—	—	—
US Average	488	515	518	509	508	504	502	500
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	—	495	—	—	—	—	—
Hispanic	456	486	492	485	475	465	457	443
American Indian/Alaska Native	483	477	—	—	—	—	—
Black	443	445	462	465	457	448	444	419

Science
Race	2023	2019	2015	2011	2007	2003	1999	1995
	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score
Asian	584	577	573	556	543	—	—	—
White	545	543	559	557	553	551	552	547	544
Multiracial	526	542	547	536	534	522	—	—	—
US Average	513	517	522	530	525	520	527	515	534
Hispanic	482	491	493	502	493	480	482	462	446
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	498	—	—	—	—	—
American Indian/Alaska Native	481	497	—	—	—	—	—
Black	466	445	469	470	455	463	438	422

Fourth grade

Mathematics
Race	2019	2015	2011	2007	2003	1995
	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score
Asian	586	605	583	582	—	—
White	559	559	559	550	542	541
Multiracial	554	565	554	534	—	—
US Average	535	539	541	529	518	545
American Indian/Alaska Native	515	527	—	—	—	—
Hispanic	508	515	520	504	492	493
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	500	502	—	—	—	—
Black	494	495	489	482	472	457

Science
Race	2019	2015	2011	2007	2003	1995
	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score	Score
Asian	581	598	570	573	—	—
White	565	570	568	567	565	572
Multiracial	561	571	559	550	—	—
US Average	539	546	544	539	536	565
American Indian/Alaska Native	519	530	—	—	—	—
Hispanic	508	518	517	502	498	503
Black	497	501	490	488	487	462
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	495	503	—	—	—	—

All average country scores

• TIMSS 1995: 4th grade ; 8th grade
• TIMSS 1999: 8th grade
• TIMSS 2003: 4th grade ; 8th grade
• TIMSS 2007: 4th and 8th grades
• TIMSS 2011: 4th grade ; 8th grade
• TIMSS 2015: 4th and 8th grades
• TIMSS 2019:

TIMSS and other international math and science studies

Hanushek and Woessmann developed a methodology to rescale 14 different international comparisons of math and/or science achievement to make them comparable. This includes the FIMS, FISS, and PISA, mentioned above, with TIMSS.

This methodology is disputed amongst experts. Quantitative methods used in educational and psychological measurement disagree with the approach as it is basically only a linear scale transformation that cannot ensure or examine whether PISA and TIMSS scores are based on the same or at least comparable measurement constructs: The numerical values used to measure shoe size and intelligence can be transformed so that both have the same arithmetic mean and standard deviation, but they still represent two very different characteristics. The equivalency of what is being measured needs to be established in linking studies that utilize well-designed joint data collections such as the TIMSS NAEP link, or IEA's Rosetta Stone.

Wu (2003, 2010) has shown that TIMSS and PISA do not produce exchangeable scores. One reason may be reading load even for mathematics and science items. TIMSS questions focus on the mathematics curricula taught around the world as seen in TIMSS example items, while PISA attempts to assess mathematics embedded in descriptions of situations encountered outside of the classroom, see PISA examples.

Participating countries

Country	Years
Albania	2019, 2023
Algeria	2007
Argentina	2015
Armenia	2003, 2007, 2011, 2019, 2023
Australia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Austria	1995, 2007, 2011, 2019, 2023
Azerbaijan	2011, 2019, 2023
Bahrain	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Belgium	1995, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2007, 2019, 2023
Botswana	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Brazil	2023
Bulgaria	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023
Canada	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Chile	1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Chinese Taipei	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Colombia	1995, 2007
Croatia	2011, 2015, 2019
Cyprus	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023
Czech Republic	1995, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Denmark	1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Egypt	2003, 2007, 2015
El Salvador	2007
England	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Estonia	2003
Finland	1999, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
France	1995, 2015, 2019, 2023
Georgia	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Germany	1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Ghana	2003, 2007, 2011
Greece	1995
Honduras	2011
Hong Kong	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Hungary	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Iceland	1995
Indonesia	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Iran	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Iraq	2023
Ireland	1995, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Israel	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Italy	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Ivory Coast	2023
Japan	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Jordan	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Kazakhstan	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Kosovo	2019, 2023
Kuwait	1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Latvia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023
Lebanon	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Lithuania	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Macau	2023
Malaysia	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Malta	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Moldova	1999, 2003
Montenegro	2019, 2023
Morocco	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Netherlands	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
New Zealand	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
North Macedonia	1999, 2003, 2011, 2019, 2023
Northern Ireland	2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Norway	1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Oman	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Pakistan	2019
Palestine	2003, 2007, 2011, 2023
Philippines	1999, 2003, 2019
Poland	2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Portugal	1995, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Qatar	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Romania	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2023
Russia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
Saudi Arabia	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Scotland	1995, 2003, 2007
Serbia	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Singapore	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Slovakia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Slovenia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
South Africa	1995, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
South Korea	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Spain	1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Sweden	1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Switzerland	1995
Syria	2007, 2011
Thailand	1995, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015
Tunisia	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
Turkey	1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Ukraine	2007, 2011
United Arab Emirates	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
United States	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Uzbekistan	2023
Yemen	2007, 2011

See also

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
• Numeracy
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an educational ranking among OECD nations
• Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
• Scientific literacy

References

• Hanushek, Eric A.; Woessmann, Ludger (2015), The knowledge capital of nations, CESifo, ISBN 978-0-262-02917-9.

External links

• IEA's TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College
• www.iea.nl: TIMSS. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
• U.S. Department of Education TIMSS
• TIMSS: What Have We Learned about Math and Science Teaching? Archived 2012-02-11 at the Wayback Machine - Education Resources Information Center Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education, Columbus, Ohio.
• Benchmarking to the world's best in mathematics. Quality control in curriculum and instruction among the top performers in the TIMSS