The latest figures show that scientific literacy among young people in Finland has dropped from the 2006 level, when the focus was last on science performance. The mean score points in scientific literacy show that 15-year-olds in Finland rank in third place among the OECD countries. The average score in scientific literacy in Finland has dropped by 32 score points relative to 2006 (563 score points). Finnish students are still among the best in reading literacy, and mathematical literacy has remained unchanged.
The survey was carried out by the Finnish Institute for Educational Research of the University of Jyväskylä together with Helsinki University.
The results were published on 6 December 2016.
Of the 73 countries and economies that participated in the PISA 2015 survey, 51 also took part in a collaborative problem-solving assessment. This was the first time that collaborative problem-solving skills were assessed. Young people in Finland ranked in fifth place among the OECD countries that took part in the OECD’s PISA 2015 assessment on collaborative problem solving and in seventh place among all the countries and economies that participated in the assessment.
| Finland's results |
score points |
OECD countries |
all participants |
| Mathematical literacy |
511 |
7. |
13. |
| Reading literacy |
526 |
2. |
4. |
| Scientific literacy |
531 |
3. |
5. |
| Collaborative problem-solving |
534 |
5. |
7. |
In 2015 and 2006 the focus was on science performance. This is the first time it is possible to assess developments in proficiency in scientific literacy in a reliable way. Altogether 73 countries and economies in the PISA 2015 assessment.