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Gender gaps in mathematics and reading
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<h2 id="mathematics-and-reading-gaps-by-country">Mathematics and reading gaps by country</h2> <p>The <a href="/facts/Programme_for_International_Student_Assessment/KG9RF5hR">Programme for International Student Assessment</a> assesses the performance of 15-year-olds in mathematics and reading in OECD and OECD partner countries.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The table below lists the scores of the PISA 2009 assessment in mathematics and reading by country, as well as the difference between girls and boys. Gaps in bold font mean that the gender gap is <a href="/facts/Statistical_significance/PMxjdlAu">statistically significant</a> (<a href="/facts/P_value/InnYd1bz">p</a><0.05). A positive mathematics gap means that boys outperform girls, while a negative mathematics gap means that girls outperform boys. A positive reading gap means that girls outperform boys (this is true in every country, so no country has a negative reading gap). There is a negative <a href="/facts/Correlation_and_dependence/egkluAEm">correlation</a> between the mathematics and reading gender gaps, that is, nations with a larger mathematics gap have a smaller reading gap and vice versa.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <table><tbody><tr><th>Country</th><th>Mathematics score</th><th>Mathematics gender gap</th><th>Reading score</th><th>Reading gender gap</th></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Colombia/nl7r8Q2u">Colombia</a></td><td>382</td><td> 32 </td><td>413</td><td> 10 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Costa_Rica/baw0GTI1">Costa Rica</a></td><td>410</td><td> 26 </td><td>442</td><td> 14 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Liechtenstein/dPnsqDnS">Liechtenstein</a></td><td>535</td><td> 24 </td><td>500</td><td> 32 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Belgium/YKuMXP5j">Belgium</a></td><td>515</td><td> 22 </td><td>506</td><td> 27 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">UK</a></td><td>492</td><td> 21 </td><td>494</td><td> 26 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Chile/uEyTfEcx">Chile</a></td><td>420</td><td> 21 </td><td>450</td><td> 22 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Austria/4qWIMIyc">Austria</a></td><td>496</td><td> 20 </td><td>470</td><td> 41 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Luxembourg/vRN04l7f">Luxembourg</a></td><td>489</td><td> 20 </td><td>472</td><td> 39 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Switzerland/LcGuxeTe">Switzerland</a></td><td>534</td><td> 20 </td><td>500</td><td> 39 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">US</a></td><td>487</td><td> 20 </td><td>500</td><td> 25 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Spain/bIyrB8EY">Spain</a></td><td>484</td><td> 19 </td><td>482</td><td> 29 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Peru/dBt7XrYD">Peru</a></td><td>365</td><td> 18 </td><td>370</td><td> 22 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Netherlands/y8xn5stT">Netherlands</a></td><td>526</td><td> 17 </td><td>508</td><td> 25 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Venezuela/eX1qnkln">Venezuela</a> Miranda</td><td>398</td><td> 17 </td><td>421</td><td> 18 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Denmark/KVtykzsw">Denmark</a></td><td>503</td><td> 16 </td><td>494</td><td> 29 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a></td><td>497</td><td> 16 </td><td>495</td><td> 40 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a></td><td>512</td><td> 15 </td><td>498</td><td> 40 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Italy/tUf0PDYF">Italy</a></td><td>482</td><td> 15 </td><td>487</td><td> 46 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Brazil/QHkG46GL">Brazil</a></td><td>386</td><td> 15 </td><td>411</td><td> 28 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Greece/lqHw8bTB">Greece</a></td><td>466</td><td> 14 </td><td>482</td><td> 47 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Hong_Kong/4nAf3mqQ">HK</a></td><td>554</td><td> 14 </td><td>534</td><td> 32 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Mexico/IT5bwhdh">Mexico</a></td><td>418</td><td> 13 </td><td>426</td><td> 25 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a></td><td>527</td><td> 12 </td><td>524</td><td> 35 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Hungary/YRedQLtI">Hungary</a></td><td>490</td><td> 12 </td><td>494</td><td> 38 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Portugal/lYzwDQ63">Portugal</a></td><td>487</td><td> 12 </td><td>489</td><td> 38 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Tunisia/4uC8Po6k">Tunisia</a></td><td>372</td><td> 12 </td><td>402</td><td> 31 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Uruguay/X6V0apCb">Uruguay</a></td><td>427</td><td> 12 </td><td>424</td><td> 41 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Montenegro/QynKJrw5">Montenegro</a></td><td>402</td><td> 12 </td><td>408</td><td> 52 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Argentina/aFSA5bAk">Argentina</a></td><td>388</td><td> 11 </td><td>397</td><td> 36 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Turkey/KIYAWAs0">Turkey</a></td><td>446</td><td> 11 </td><td>464</td><td> 43 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Macau/KEm5w6xH">Macao</a></td><td>526</td><td> 11 </td><td>487</td><td> 34 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Serbia/U0LVzPdI">Serbia</a></td><td>442</td><td> 11 </td><td>442</td><td> 40 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Croatia/MSS0yyvw">Croatia</a></td><td>460</td><td> 11 </td><td>478</td><td> 51 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a></td><td>514</td><td> 10 </td><td>514</td><td> 37 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a></td><td>529</td><td>10</td><td>520</td><td> 39 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Republic_of_Ireland/k8JzXVze">Ireland</a></td><td>487</td><td>8</td><td>496</td><td> 39 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/New_Zealand/4mpSlJdg">New Zealand</a></td><td>519</td><td>8</td><td>522</td><td> 45 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Israel/dEe3IcaY">Israel</a></td><td>447</td><td>8</td><td>474</td><td> 43 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Azerbaijan/Ho5joRTJ">Azerbaijan</a></td><td>431</td><td> 8 </td><td>362</td><td> 24 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Estonia/PVjB16TI">Estonia</a></td><td>512</td><td> 8 </td><td>502</td><td> 44 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Singapore/CQDkhUvD">Singapore</a></td><td>562</td><td> 6 </td><td>526</td><td> 31 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Czech_Republic/vJYLD66Q">Czech Republic</a></td><td>492</td><td>5</td><td>480</td><td> 48 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Norway/wlDRKRTR">Norway</a></td><td>498</td><td>5</td><td>504</td><td> 47 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Chinese_Taipei/DUYRXqxI">Chinese Taipei</a></td><td>544</td><td>5</td><td>496</td><td> 37 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Panama/GckVVhnp">Panama</a></td><td>360</td><td>5</td><td>370</td><td> 33 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Korea/cj2kDBzc">Korea</a></td><td>546</td><td>4</td><td>540</td><td> 35 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Poland/eXJ7fd0D">Poland</a></td><td>495</td><td>4</td><td>500</td><td> 49 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Romania/yolzk5cN">Romania</a></td><td>427</td><td>4</td><td>424</td><td> 42 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Thailand/GCUnN4JK">Thailand</a></td><td>419</td><td>4</td><td>419</td><td> 38 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Mauritius/lVUARna5">Mauritius</a></td><td>420</td><td>4</td><td>406</td><td> 40 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Finland/G5Ak6T91">Finland</a></td><td>540</td><td>3</td><td>536</td><td> 55 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Iceland/E4KGYs2j">Iceland</a></td><td>506</td><td>3</td><td>500</td><td> 44 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Slovakia/gmJwpwM3">Slovakia</a></td><td>496</td><td>3</td><td>478</td><td> 51 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Moldova/qGBNGewt">Moldova</a></td><td>398</td><td>3</td><td>388</td><td> 45 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Latvia/y2PSa8lx">Latvia</a></td><td>482</td><td>2</td><td>484</td><td> 47 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a></td><td>468</td><td>2</td><td>460</td><td> 45 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Slovenia/EcYU22W4">Slovenia</a></td><td>502</td><td>1</td><td>484</td><td> 55 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Kazakhstan/Vfs8NI6e">Kazakhstan</a></td><td>405</td><td>0</td><td>390</td><td> 43 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Indonesia/vQnWU3IW">Indonesia</a></td><td>372</td><td>-1</td><td>402</td><td> 37 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Jordan/JC5sS1oJ">Jordan</a></td><td>386</td><td>-1</td><td>406</td><td> 57 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Sweden/u3qC7lyj">Sweden</a></td><td>494</td><td>-2</td><td>498</td><td> 46 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a> Shanghai</td><td>600</td><td>-2</td><td>556</td><td> 40 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Georgia_(country)/ccBF8bBE">Georgia</a></td><td>380</td><td>-3</td><td>374</td><td> 61 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Malaysia/8zbUMzCP">Malaysia</a></td><td>404</td><td>-3</td><td>414</td><td> 35 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Bulgaria/Er5pY3YS">Bulgaria</a></td><td>428</td><td>-4</td><td>430</td><td> 61 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Qatar/K4EkNXJE">Qatar</a></td><td>368</td><td> -5 </td><td>372</td><td> 50 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Kyrgyzstan/MSNdCp8u">Kyrgyzstan</a></td><td>331</td><td> -6 </td><td>314</td><td> 53 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Lithuania/dApVjLWW">Lithuania</a></td><td>477</td><td> -6 </td><td>468</td><td> 59 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/United_Arab_Emirates/o1bEjgbR">United Arab Emirates</a></td><td>421</td><td> -6 </td><td>431</td><td> 58 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/India/1kKHcnxM">India</a> Tamil Nadu</td><td>350</td><td>-7</td><td>335</td><td> 36 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Trinidad_and_Tobago/jTXQP4Fe">Trinidad and Tobago</a></td><td>414</td><td> -8 </td><td>416</td><td> 58 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Albania/8GP40BUD">Albania</a></td><td>378</td><td> -11 </td><td>386</td><td> 62 </td></tr><tr><td> <a href="/facts/Malta/FsqM3M37">Malta</a></td><td>462</td><td> -15 </td><td>442</td><td> 72 </td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Gender-equality_paradox/CTfI4wmk">Gender-equality paradox</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Stoet, Gijsbert; Geary, David C (2013). "Sex differences in mathematics and reading achievement are inversely related: Within-and across-nation assessment of 10 years of PISA data". PLOS ONE. 8 (3). Public Library of Science: e57988. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...857988S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057988. PMC 3596327. PMID 23516422. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3596327" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3596327</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Geary, David C. (2010). Male, Female (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Halpern, Diane F. (2012). Sex differences in Cognitive Abilities (4th ed.). New York: Psychology Press. <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary (PDF), OECD, 2010, retrieved 30 July 2013 <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/46619703.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/46619703.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Stoet, Gijsbert; Geary, David C (2013). "Sex differences in mathematics and reading achievement are inversely related: Within-and across-nation assessment of 10 years of PISA data". PLOS ONE. 8 (3). Public Library of Science: e57988. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...857988S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057988. PMC 3596327. PMID 23516422. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3596327" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3596327</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>