“PISA Rankings by Country (2000–2026 Full Analysis).” April 20, 2026. https://educationbycountry.org/pisa-rankings-by-country.
An OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) poll has recently been published and 15-year-olds in Sweden have hit an all-time low1 for maths, reading, and science.
Jimmie Åkesson, the leader of extreme-right-wing political party Sverigedemokraterna, blames the lower PISA scores on 'mass immigration'. Science paints a different picture2.
In fact, Swedes who have immigrated are on a stable or increased level compared with Swedes who have not immigrated; the later category counts for the lower scores since the last PISA poll.
Xenophobia doesn't really hide, does it. Other matters are almost not even touched by Sverigedemokraterna3.
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Löfgren, Emma. “Swedish Results in Maths, Reading and Science Plummet to Historic Low in New Pisa Poll.” The Local Sweden, September 8, 2026. https://www.thelocal.se/20260908/swedish-results-in-maths-reading-and-science-plummet-to-historic-low-in-new-pisa-poll. ↩
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Nilsson, Ellika, Simon Krona, Ulf Hambraeus, Johan Wikén, and Filip Brusman. “Partiledarna skyller Pisa-fiaskot på olika saker – Experter: Ingen enkel förklaring.” Inrikes. SVT Nyheter, September 11, 2026. https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/partiledarna-skyller-pisa-fiaskot-pa-olika-saker-experter-ingen-enkel-forklaring. ↩
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Richard Orange, “Russian Partner of Top Sweden Democrat Accused of Pro-Putin Posts,” The Local Sweden, September 4, 2026, https://www.thelocal.se/20260904/russian-partner-of-top-sweden-democrat-accused-of-pro-putin-posts. ↩