PIRLS 2021 International Results in Reading

Countries’ Reading Achievement

Average Reading Achievement by Gender

Exhibit 1.4 presents average reading achievement by gender in the 43 countries and 5 benchmarking entities where the fourth grade cohort was assessed at the end of the school year. Exhibit 1.5 presents the results for all 57 countries and 8 benchmarking entities, including the countries with delayed assessments at the fifth grade (highlighted in pink). In each exhibit, the countries are presented according to the size of the gender gap in average reading achievement from little or no difference between girls and boys to a rather large difference favoring girls.

The results show a pervasive advantage in reading achievement at the fourth grade for girls compared to boys, and this was no different for the countries with delayed testing at the fifth grade. Fourth grade girls had higher average achievement than boys in almost all the countries, with an average advantage of 16 points across the 43 countries (Exhibit 1.4) and 18 points across the 57 countries (Exhibit 1.5). According to Exhibit 1.5, there was no significant difference in achievement between boys and girls in Spain, the Czech Republic, Israel, Malta, and Iran.