Every international test the United States takes part in, from fourth grade to adulthood. Countries are colored by their rank on the selected test, from light green (1st) to dark brown (last). The U.S. is outlined in gold.
How it is run, in the words of the sources. Hover a number for the quote.
Each dot is a country, placed by its rank on that test. The gold bar is the U.S.; ringed dots are countries not measurably different from it. Click a row to map that test.
16 sets of results from 5 international assessments (ICILS, PIAAC, PIRLS, PISA, TIMSS), covering pupils from grade 4 to adults, in up to 91 countries. Countries are ranked by mean score. Because the number of countries differs from test to test, the best and worst showings below are the U.S. placing as a share of the field, not the raw rank.
A rank is not a verdict: on most of these tests several countries sit within the margin of error of the United States, and the map rings them. Every figure here is read from the same data the map draws, so the two cannot disagree.