PISA 2025 Results (Volume I): Kurdistan Region (Iraq)

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses the knowledge, skills and attitudes of 15-year-old students. The tests explore how well students can solve complex problems, think critically and communicate effectively; data collected through questionnaires describe the context in which students learn. This gives insights into how well education systems are preparing students for real life challenges and future success. The Kurdistan Region (Iraq) participated for the first time in PISA in 2025. By comparing results internationally, policy makers and educators in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) can learn from other countries’ policies and practices.

• Students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) scored less than the OECD average in mathematics, reading and science (Figure 2).

• A smaller proportion of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) than on average across OECD countries were top performers (Level 5 or 6) in at least one subject. At the same time, a smaller proportion of students than on average across OECD countries achieved a minimum level of proficiency (Level 2 or higher) in all three subjects (Figure 3).

• Some 19% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) attained Level 2 or higher in science (OECD average: 74%). At a minimum, these students can recognize the correct explanation for familiar scientific phenomena and can use such knowledge to identify, in simple cases, whether a conclusion is valid based on the data provided. Over 85% of students in top performers B-S-J-Z (China), Macao (China), Singapore, Estonia, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Korea (in descending order of that share) performed at this level or above.

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), almost no students were top performers in science, meaning that they were proficient at Level 5 or 6 (OECD average: 7%). These students can creatively and autonomously apply their knowledge of and about science to a wide variety of situations, including unfamiliar ones.

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 7% of students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics (OECD average: 65%). At a minimum, these students can interpret and recognize, without direct instructions, how a simple situation can be represented mathematically (e.g. comparing the total distance across two alternative routes, or converting prices into a different currency).

• Almost no students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) were top performers in mathematics, meaning that they attained Level 5 or 6 in the PISA mathematics test (OECD average: 8%). The largest shares of students attaining Level 5 or 6 were observed in Seven Asian countries and economies: B-S-J-Z (China) (54%), Singapore (37%), Chinese Taipei (32%), Macao (China) (29%), Korea (23%), Japan (22%) and Hong Kong (China) (21%). At these levels, students can model complex situations mathematically, and can select, compare and evaluate appropriate problem-solving strategies for dealing with them. In 13 countries and economies participating in PISA 2025, more than 10% of students attained Level 5 or 6 proficiency.

• Some 7% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) attained Level 2 or higher in reading (OECD average: 69%). At a minimum, these students can identify the main idea in a text of moderate length, find information based on explicit, though sometimes complex criteria, and can reflect on the purpose and form of texts when explicitly directed to do so. The share of 15-year-old students who attained minimum levels of proficiency in reading (Level 2 or higher) varied from 93% in B-S-J-Z (China) to 4% in Rwanda.

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), almost no students scored at Level 5 or higher in reading (OECD average: 6%). These students can comprehend lengthy texts, deal with concepts that are abstract or counterintuitive, and establish distinctions between fact and opinion, based on implicit cues pertaining to the content or source of the information.

• The PISA index of economic, social and cultural status is computed in such a way that all students taking the PISA test, regardless of the country where they live, can be placed on the same socio-economic scale. This means that it is possible to use this index to compare the performance of students of similar socio-economic background in different countries. In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 47% of students (the largest share) were in the bottom international quartile of the socio-economic scale, meaning that they were among the most disadvantaged students who took the PISA test in 2025. Their average score in science was 351 score points (Figure 4, left chart). In B-S-J-Z (China) and Türkiye, students of similar socio-economic background tend to score significantly higher.

• The PISA index of economic, social and cultural status can also be used to order students from the most disadvantaged to the most advantaged within each country and economy, and to create four groups of students of equal size (each comprising 25% of the population of 15-year-old students in each country/economy). In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) socio-economically advantaged students (the top 25% in terms of socio-economic status) outperformed disadvantaged students (the bottom 25%) by 19 score points in science. This is smaller than the average difference between the two groups (85 score points) across OECD countries.

• Socio-economic status was a predictor of performance in science in all PISA-participating countries and economies. It accounted for 2% of the variation in science performance in PISA 2025 in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) (compared to 12% on average across OECD countries).

• Some 22% of disadvantaged students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) were able to score in the top quarter of science performance. These students can be considered academically resilient because, despite their socio-economic disadvantage, they have attained educational excellence by comparison with students in their own country. On average across OECD countries, 12% of disadvantaged students scored in the top quarter of science performance in their own countries.

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 66% of students agree or strongly agree that they are curious about many different things, compared to 73% across OECD countries. Moreover, 67% of students reported that they apply additional effort when work becomes challenging (OECD average 60%). At the same time, 21% agree or strongly agree that school has been a waste of time (OECD average: 24%).

• Curiosity, perseverance and valuing school are most often associated with higher science performance. In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), after accounting for students’ and schools’ socio-economic profile, a one-unit increase in the curiosity index is associated with a difference of 13 score points in science performance, compared to an average of 19 score points across OECD countries; a one-unit increase in the perseverance index is associated with a difference of 12 score points in science performance (OECD average: 13 score points); students who perceive greater value in school and disagree that it is a waste of time tend to achieve higher scores in science (by 18 score points ) than their peers who feel they are wasting their time at school (OECD average: 27 score points).

• PISA 2025 also asked students about other attitudes towards learning. For example, 46% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) have a growth mindset (OECD average: 69%), i.e. hold the belief that intelligence can be cultivated through work, effort and feedback. On average across OECD countries, students with a growth mindset score 28 score points higher in science than those with a fixed mindset. In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), this difference is not significant.

• In 2025, 43% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) were in schools whose principals reported that instruction was hindered, at least to some extent, by a perceived lack of teaching staff (OECD average: 39%); the corresponding share for a perceived lack of assisting staff was 39% (OECD average: 39%).

• PISA 2025 data reveal that perceived shortages of material resources remain a concern in most countries and economies. Some 68% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) attended schools whose principals reported that a lack of educational material (e.g. textbooks, IT equipment, library or laboratory material) hindered instruction, at least to some extent, and 72% were in schools where a lack of physical infrastructure (e.g. buildings, grounds, heating/cooling systems, lighting and acoustic systems) was perceived to hinder instruction.

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), students reported spending on average 2.0 hours per day using digital devices at school for learning activities (OECD average: 1.7 hours). At the same time, a non-negligible share of students’ device use on school days is dedicated to non-learning activities: students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) reported spending 1.9 hours per day using digital devices at school for leisure (OECD average: 1.1 hours).

• In 2025, 81% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) attended schools where cell phone use is not allowed on school premises (OECD average: 49%).

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 18% of students reported being victims of at least one form of bullying a few times per month or more in 2025 (OECD average: 20%).

• Cyberbullying is relatively uncommon compared with other forms of bullying, but its victims tend to experience significant achievement deficits. In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 4% of students reported that upsetting information about them was published online, without their consent, at least a few times a month during the 12 months prior to the PISA test (OECD average: 3%). These students scored, on average, 34 points lower in science than their peers.

• In 2025, 59% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) reported that their parents or guardians asked them, at least once per week, what they did at school , while 46% reported having at least weekly discussions about problems they might have at school.

• In 2025, around 42% of students in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) reported having skipped at least one day of school in the two weeks prior to the test (OECD average: 22%); 23% reported skipping at least one class (OECD average: 24%); 41% reported arriving late for school (OECD average: 50%).

• PISA 2025 shows that students in most education systems report strong pro-environmental attitudes, although fewer feel confident about how to collaborate effectively. In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 71% of students believe that they can positively impact the environment (OECD average: 81%); 83% believe that collective action can address environmental problems (OECD average: 82%); 69% report knowing how to work with others to positively impact the environment (OECD average: 68%).

• Most students engaged in environment-related activities at least once over the 12 months prior to the PISA test. On average across OECD countries, the most common forms of engagement are discussing with friends and family how to have a positive impact on the environment (the Kurdistan Region (Iraq): 71%; OECD average: 56%) and making purchasing decisions based on the sustainability of products (OECD average: 54%; 56% in the Kurdistan Region (Iraq)).

• The PISA 2025 survey focused on science, with mathematics and reading as minor areas; an assessment of learning in the digital world measured students’ computational problem-solving skills and their ability to self-direct their learning in a digital environment; the Kurdistan Region (Iraq) did not participate in this assessment. Results for science, mathematics, reading and computational problem solving are released on 8 September 2026 and analyses of students’ self-directed learning in 2027.

• Over 760 000 students took the assessment in 2025, representing about 33 million 15-year-olds in the schools of the 91 participating countries and economies.

• In the Kurdistan Region (Iraq), 5 732 students, in 259 schools, completed the assessment, representing about 93 600 15-year-old students (an estimated 81% of the total population of 15-year-olds).

• PISA students are aged between 15 years 3 months and 16 years 2 months at the time of the assessment, and they have completed at least 6 years of formal schooling. In this note, they are referred to as 15-year-old students.

• Students took a two hour test in mathematics, reading and science, using paper and pencil. Test items were a mixture of multiple-choice questions and questions requiring students to construct their own responses.

• Students also answered a background questionnaire, which took about 35 minutes to complete. The questionnaire sought information about the students themselves, their attitudes, dispositions and beliefs, their homes, and their school and learning experiences. School principals completed a questionnaire about school management, organisation, and the learning environment.

• Some countries/economies also distributed additional questionnaires, to students, parents and/or teachers, to elicit more information. The findings from these optional questionnaires are not covered by this note.