Japan vs United States of America: PISA: Mean performance on the reading scale

Japan
503.86
in 2018
United States of America
505.35
in 2018
Japan rank
14th
United States of America rank
12th

PISA: Mean performance on the reading scale over time

  • Japan
  • United States of America
0200400600200020092018

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 505.35 against 503.86 in Japan, a difference of 1.49.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 6 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 14th and United States of America ranks 12th of 56 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Japan United States of America Difference Ahead
2000s 513.4 499.81 13.59 Japan
2010s 519.29 499.96 19.33 Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher pisa: mean performance on the reading scale, Japan or United States of America?
United States of America, at 505.35 against 503.86 in Japan as of 2018.
What is the difference in pisa: mean performance on the reading scale between Japan and United States of America?
1.49, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States of America?
6 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2018.
How do Japan and United States of America rank globally for pisa: mean performance on the reading scale?
Japan ranks 14th and United States of America ranks 12th of 56 countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), published as PISA: Mean performance on the reading scale. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs United States of America: PISA: Mean performance on the reading scale. Statizoid, drawing on OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/pisa-mean-performance-on-the-reading-scale/japan/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
PISA: Mean performance on the reading scale
Source
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
56 places, 354 data points, 2000–2018
Last refreshed

Average score of 15-year-old students on the PISA reading scale. The metric for the overall reading scale is based on a mean for participating OECD countries set at 500, with a standard deviation of 100. Data reflects country performance in the stated year according to PISA reports, but may not be comparable across years or countries. Consult the PISA website for more detailed information: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/