The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 results show Hong Kong continuing to score above the international average in many domains and excelling in educational equity and in “Learning in the Digital World”.
The assessment involved 91 countries and economies. The Education Bureau said 6,445 15-year-old students from 230 Hong Kong secondary schools participated.
In the study’s “Learning in the Digital World” category, Hong Kong ranked sixth globally with a score of 545, performing significantly above the international average of 500. Over 40% of the students assessed attained high proficiency levels, demonstrating their ability to manage moderate to sophisticated programming and modelling, and to apply computational logic.
While Hong Kong’s scores in mathematical, scientific and mother-tongue reading literacy saw a decline compared to PISA 2022, the overall performance remained steadily above the international average.
Research Professor Hau Kit-tai from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Department of Educational Psychology, who joined the PISA Technical Advisory Group for 10 years, noted that learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during a critical stage of development contributed to the widespread decline in global scores.
Prof Hau said results around the world had declined across all subjects, particularly over the past five years, and that COVID-19 was one of the main reasons.
He added that the main Hong Kong PISA 2025 assessment was delayed as testing was pushed to June and July so as not to coincide with the Easter holiday. However, when the assessment was eventually held, many schools were holding internal examinations. Since PISA is a survey rather than a school examination, some students might not have taken it as seriously.
Hong Kong also maintained its position as one of the world’s leaders in educational equity, having consistently ranked in the top three on this metric.
In addition, the study found that local students demonstrated a high level of motivation when it came to attending school. Prof Hau stressed that Hong Kong has relatively few students who are late for school or absent without reason, reflecting a positive learning atmosphere in schools.
The Government has established the Expert Group on Educational Performance Evaluation in order to conduct a comprehensive review of Hong Kong’s performance in major international assessments. The Education Bureau will study the group’s recommendations with a view to maintaining the strengths of local schooling and further enhance Hong Kong students’ international competitiveness.
The bureau reiterated its commitment to promoting the high-quality development of Hong Kong education and referred to the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary & Secondary Schools, which focuses heavily on artificial intelligence education. The initiative aims to equip the younger generation to embrace both the opportunities and challenges of the digital era.