OECD PISA 2022 — Volume I Official Report
Do Immigrant Students Underperform?
PISA 2022 Data by Country83% explained by socioeconomic factors
OECD average raw gap: −29 pts. After socioeconomic control: −5 pts. Finland −42 pts; Australia +26 pts. The gap's existence and its cause are separate questions.
OECD average (PISA 2022)
| Indicator | Score difference (immigrant − native-born) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted (raw) | −29 pts | OECD PISA 2022 Volume I |
| After socioeconomic controls | −5 pts | OECD PISA 2022 Volume I |
| Share of gap explained by socioeconomic factors | ~83% | OECD PISA 2022 Volume I |
Countries with the largest adjusted gaps
| Country | Adjusted score gap |
|---|---|
| Finland | −42 pts |
| Norway | −36 pts |
| Sweden | −34 pts |
| Germany | −32 pts |
| Denmark | −28 pts |
Countries where immigrant students outperform native-born peers
| Country | Score difference | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | +26 pts | Points-based skilled migration system |
| New Zealand | +16 pts | Same |
| Canada (2nd generation) | At parity or above | Points-based immigration |
| USA (2nd generation) | At parity or above | OECD PISA 2022 |
Source: OECD PISA 2022 Volume I, "Immigrant background and student performance"
Methodological limits
- Generational non-uniformity: The comparison of first-generation (foreign-born), second-generation (parents foreign-born), and native-born students is not applied consistently across countries. First- and second-generation students show very different performance patterns.
- Measurement error in socioeconomic index: PISA's ESCS index (Economic, Social and Cultural Status) is a proxy measure and does not fully capture household environments.
- Different migrant selection profiles: Countries prioritising skilled immigration (Australia, Canada) and those receiving predominantly refugees and family reunification migrants (Nordic countries) have fundamentally different population compositions.
- Language acquisition time: Length of residence and years of schooling in the host-country language affect performance; this is not uniformly controlled in cross-country comparisons.
What this data does not show
- Having an immigrant background does not cause lower educational performance. 83% of the gap is explained by socioeconomic circumstances (household income, parental education, cultural capital).
- The larger adjusted residual gaps in Nordic countries may suggest integration policy issues, but causal relationships cannot be derived directly from the statistics.
- Cross-country differences reflect the origin, education levels, and selection processes of migrants, not a general characteristic of "immigrant children" as a category.
- PISA scores measure attainment at age 15. They do not predict long-term educational outcomes or social integration results.
Primary source
- OECD (2023). PISA 2022 Results Volume I: The State of Learning and Equity in Education. Chapter 5: "Immigrant background and student performance". www.oecd.org/pisa