34,639 Students Drive UAE to Top of Arab World in PISA 2025
Walk into a local school assembly lately, and you can feel the shift in how classrooms are gearing up for the future. The latest numbers from the Programme for International Student Assessment show that local pupils are making tangible strides where it counts.
Overseen by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the assessment brought together 34,639 students from 1,070 schools across the UAE. That massive turnout translated into serious results, pushing the nation to the top spot in the Arab world.
The data points to a broader academic lift. The country recorded an overall average improvement of 26 points, anchored by a 21-point jump in mathematics and a 15-point increase in reading. Out of 91 participating countries and economies worldwide, the UAE landed among just eight participants that managed to improve across all three assessment areas.
Beyond traditional subjects, the classrooms are changing to meet everyday tech realities. Around 96.3 per cent of school pupils in the UAE now receive specific guidance on using digital devices, while 81.7 per cent are taught how to evaluate information generated by artificial intelligence.
These results mark a clear step forward for the country’s education system as digital literacy and practical problem-solving become daily routines for students.
