Swedish 15-year-olds have achieved their lowest PISA scores to date in reading comprehension and mathematics. Jimmie Åkesson (SD) points to mass immigration and a lack of proficiency in Swedish as key explanations—while at the same time, a report from the Swedish National Agency for Education shows significant differences between Swedish students and students with a foreign background.
Sweden continues its downward trend in PISA, the OECD’s international study of 15-year-olds’ proficiency in reading comprehension, mathematics, and science. The study has been conducted since 2000 and is used to compare academic performance across countries and over time.
Approximately 760,000 students from 91 countries and regions participated in PISA 2025. In Sweden, 6,688 students participated. The results show a clear decline since the previous assessment.
Sweden has lost 21 points in reading comprehension and 18 points in mathematics since 2022. In mathematics, the score is the lowest Sweden has recorded since testing began. Sweden now ranks around the OECD average in all three subjects.
At the same time, the percentage of students who do not reach the basic proficiency level has increased. In reading comprehension, this figure is 31 percent, and in mathematics, 34 percent, compared with 24 and 27 percent, respectively, in 2022.
Åkesson: Turning a Blind Eye to the Fundamental Problem
After the results were presented, Jimmie Åkesson to attack what he describes as excuses. The SD leader believes that mass immigration and a lack of proficiency in Swedish must be central to discussions about school performance.
”The political parties in Sweden that still turn a blind eye to the mess they’ve created will explain the dismal results of the PISA assessment by saying, “It’s the computers” fault!“ or ”It’s the profits” fault!’”, he writes on X.
Åkesson points above all to language. His explanation is that a limited Swedish vocabulary not only affects reading comprehension but also the ability to understand instructions, textbooks, and instruction in other subjects.
”When every other young person in many parts of the country speaks a limited local dialect, has a poor vocabulary, and can barely speak—let alone read—the Swedish language, you can’t expect them to perform particularly well in school. Not in any subject.”
Significant differences between the groups
Figures from the Swedish National Agency for Education show significant differences based on migration background. In mathematics, Swedish students scored an average of 482 points. Students born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents scored 438 points, while foreign-born students scored 426 points.
The difference is also clearly evident among students who do not reach the PISA basic proficiency level. In reading comprehension, this applies to 23 percent of Swedish students, 41 percent of students born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents, and 55 percent of foreign-born students.
In mathematics, the corresponding percentages are 27 percent among Swedish students, 46 percent among students born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents, and 50 percent among foreign-born students.
The same pattern is evident in the natural sciences. There, 18 percent of Swedish students fall below the basic proficiency level, compared with 38 percent of students born in Sweden to two foreign-born parents and 47 percent of foreign-born students.
These differences have existed for a long time
It is not just about the results from a single year. The National Agency for Education’s review shows that, over a long period of time, students with a foreign background have, on average, performed worse than Swedish students in reading comprehension, mathematics, and science.
In the natural sciences, these differences have existed throughout the entire period since 2006. In mathematics as well, the Swedish National Agency for Education’s time series shows a recurring gap between Swedish students and students with a foreign background.
At the same time, Sweden has a higher proportion of students with a foreign background than the other Nordic countries. This proportion also increased between PISA 2022 and PISA 2025.
PISA does not determine what proportion of Sweden’s long-term results can be attributed to immigration. However, the report shows that a migrant background is associated with significant differences in results, which provides statistical support for the issue raised by Åkesson.
The latest case is more widespread
At the same time, trends between 2022 and 2025 show that the most recent decline in test scores affects more groups. Swedish students have seen their scores drop, while scores among foreign-born students have improved or remained stable. As a result, the differences between the groups have narrowed in the most recent assessment.
That does not change the long-standing gap between the groups. However, the trend shows that other factors have contributed to the decline itself between the last two PISA assessments.
Screens and Less Reading
Another explanation that has been put forward is digitalization. The government has pointed to increased screen time and a decline in reading, while the OECD discusses, among other things, changing reading habits, concentration, and the use of digital tools. Education Minister Simona Mohamsson explains including, among other things, a ”screen pandemic.”.
This does not necessarily contradict Åkesson’s explanation regarding language. Vocabulary, reading habits, and the ability to understand longer texts are important for instruction in several subjects.
Åkesson Wants to Raise Language Requirements
For Åkesson, the solution lies in both immigration policy and language policy. According to the Sweden Democrats leader, Sweden should not return to its previous level of immigration, while at the same time raising the requirements for proficiency in Swedish.
”Language is a fundamental prerequisite for learning, and if we do not overcome this problem, we will never see a significant improvement in PISA scores.”
He concludes his post with a political message:
”The Sweden Democrats are the guarantee that the policy of mass immigration will never return and that language requirements for everyone living in Sweden will be raised.”
PISA 2025 reveals both a new, widespread decline in Swedish school performance and significant, long-standing disparities linked to migration background. Åkesson’s message is that immigration and the language issue must be taken into account when discussing the causes of this trend—and when formulating policies to reverse it.
Good article. There are also other reasons—the difference in IQ between different ethnic groups, which has been statistically established. It’s not something people talk about, but MENA groups—particularly North African and Central African groups—generally have IQ levels that border on mental retardation by old Swedish standards. Due to mass immigration to Europe, the overall IQ level in Europe is also declining, which means we’re falling far behind East Asian countries and, to some extent, even the U.S. This is reflected in academic performance as well. But I’m convinced that screen addiction is doing a great deal of harm to students.
Whitewolf, could cousin and sibling marriages have something to do with these disastrously low results????
They should NOT be integrated.
They are to return to their home countries.
Replace the picture of Swedish children. Put in a picture of those who are underperforming. They have black hair, often curly.
I agree. Those invasive species can't count, read, or write, even though they've spent two years in each grade.