PISA

PISA 2022 Results

Factsheets

Indonesia

PUBE
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Indonesia

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-
year-old students in mathematics, reading and science. The tests explore how well students can solve
complex problems, think critically and communicate effectively. This gives insights into how well education
systems are preparing students for real life challenges and future success. Indonesia participated for the
first time in PISA in 2001. By comparing results internationally, policy makers and educators in Indonesia
can learn from other countries’ policies and practices.

How well did 15-year-old students in Indonesia do on the test?

Trends in mathematics, reading and science performance

Figure 1. Trends in performance in mathematics, reading and science

Note: White dots indicate mean-performance estimates that are not statistically significantly above/below PISA 2022 estimates. Black lines
indicate the best-fitting trend. An interactive version of this figure is available at https://oecdch.art/a40de1dbaf/C108.
Source: OECD, PISA 2022 Database, Tables I.B1.5.4, I.B1.5.5 and I.B1.5.6.

• Average 2022 results were down compared to 2018 in mathematics, reading and science.
• Overall, 2022 results are among the lowest ever measured by PISA in all three subjects, on par
with results observed in 2003 in reading and mathematics, and in 2006 in science. While the results
of several earlier assessments were higher than those observed in the initial years, these gains
were reversed by the declines observed from 2015 onwards.
• Over the most recent period (2018 to 2022), the gap between the highest-scoring students
(10% with the highest scores) and the weakest students (10% with the lowest scores) narrowed in

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mathematics, while it did not change significantly in reading and science. In mathematics, high-
achievers became weaker, while performance did not change significantly amongst low-achievers.
• Compared to 2012 the proportion of students scoring below a baseline level of proficiency (Level 2)
increased by five percentage points in mathematics; increased by 19 percentage points in reading;
and did not change significantly in science.

How does Indonesia compare?

Figure 2. Mean performance in mathematics, reading and science in PISA 2022

Indonesia, OECD average and selected comparison countries

Notes: Comparison countries include the six highest-performing countries in each subject and the five countries with the largest population of
15-year-old students.
Horizontal lines that extend beyond the markers represent a measure of uncertainty associated with mean estimates (the 95% confidence
interval).
Source: OECD, PISA 2022 Database, Tables I.B1.2.1, I.B1.2.2 and I.B1.2.3.

• Students in Indonesia scored less than the OECD average in mathematics, reading and science.
• A smaller proportion of students in Indonesia, than on average across OECD countries, were top
performers (Level 5 or 6) in at least one subject. At the same time a smaller proportion of students
than on average across OECD countries achieved a minimum level of proficiency (Level 2 or
higher) in all three subjects.

What students know and can do in mathematics

• In Indonesia, 18% of students attained at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics, significantly

less than on average across OECD countries (OECD average: 69%). At a minimum, these students
can interpret and recognize, without direct instructions, how a simple situation can be represented
mathematically (e.g. comparing the total distance across two alternative routes, or converting
prices into a different currency). Over 85% of students in Singapore, Macao (China), Japan, Hong
Kong (China)*, Chinese Taipei and Estonia (in descending order of that share) performed at this
level or above.
• Almost no students in Indonesia were top performers in mathematics, meaning that they attained
Level 5 or 6 in the PISA mathematics test (OECD average: 9%). Six Asian countries and economies

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had the largest shares of students who did so: Singapore (41%), Chinese Taipei (32%), Macao
(China) (29%), Hong Kong (China)* (27%), Japan (23%) and Korea (23%). At these levels,
students can model complex situations mathematically, and can select, compare and evaluate
appropriate problem-solving strategies for dealing with them. Only in 16 out of 81 countries and
economies participating in PISA 2022 did more than 10% of students attain Level 5 or 6 proficiency.

Figure 3. Top performers and low-performing students in mathematics, reading and science

Note: Numbers inside the figure correspond to percentages.

Source: OECD, PISA 2022 Database, Tables I.B1.3.1, I.B1.3.2 and I.B1.3.3.

What students know and can do in reading

• Some 25% of students in Indonesia attained Level 2 or higher in reading (OECD average: 74%).
At a minimum, these students can identify the main idea in a text of moderate length, find
information based on explicit, though sometimes complex criteria, and can reflect on the purpose
and form of texts when explicitly directed to do so. The share of 15-year-old students who attained
minimum levels of proficiency in reading (Level 2 or higher) varied from 89% in Singapore to 8%
in Cambodia.
• In Indonesia, almost no students scored at Level 5 or higher in reading (OECD average: 7%).
These students can comprehend lengthy texts, deal with concepts that are abstract or
counterintuitive, and establish distinctions between fact and opinion, based on implicit cues
pertaining to the content or source of the information.

What students know and can do in science

• Some 34% of students in Indonesia attained Level 2 or higher in science (OECD average: 76%).
At a minimum, these students can recognize the correct explanation for familiar scientific
phenomena and can use such knowledge to identify, in simple cases, whether a conclusion is valid
based on the data provided.
• In Indonesia, almost no students were top performers in science, meaning that they were proficient
at Level 5 or 6 (OECD average: 7%). These students can creatively and autonomously apply their
knowledge of and about science to a wide variety of situations, including unfamiliar ones.

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A special edition of PISA

This PISA test was originally due to be conducted in 2021 but was delayed by one year because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The exceptional circumstances throughout this period, including lockdowns and
school closures in many countries, led to occasional difficulties in collecting some data. While the vast
majority of countries and economies met PISA’s technical standards, a small number did not. A country
or economy in this note with an asterisk (*) next to its name means that caution is required when
interpreting estimates because one or more PISA sampling standards were not reached. Further
information can be found in the Reader’s Guide and in Annexes A2 and A4 of the main report.
In Indonesia, all data met the quality standards set by PISA and were considered fit for reporting.

Performance gaps within Indonesia

Socio-economic divides

Figure 4. Mean performance in mathematics, by international quintiles of socio-economic status

Note: The size of markers is proportional to the share of the student population within each quintile of socio-economic status (as determined by
the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status, ESCS). Quintiles are defined at the international level, to include 20% of PISA participants
in each quintile; within each national sample, the proportion can therefore differ from 20%.
Vertical bars that extend beyond the markers represent a measure of uncertainty associated with each estimate (the 95% confidence interval).
Horizontal, dashed lines represent the uncertainty associated with the mean score of the largest group of students (as defined by international
quintiles) within Indonesia.
Source: OECD, PISA 2022 Database, Tables I.B1.4.6 and I.B1.4.8.

• The PISA index of economic, social and cultural status is computed in such a way that all students
taking the PISA test, regardless of the country where they live, can be placed on the same socio-
economic scale. This means that it is possible to use this index to compare the performance of
students of similar socio-economic background in different countries. In Indonesia, 43% of students
(the largest share) were in the bottom international quintile of the socio-economic scale, meaning
that they were among the most disadvantaged students who took the PISA test in 2022. Their

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average score in mathematics was 354 score points. In Türkiye and Viet Nam, students of similar
socio-economic background tend to score significantly higher.
• The PISA index of economic, social and cultural status can also be used to order students from
the most disadvantaged to the most advantaged within each country and economy, and to create
four groups of students of equal size (each comprising 25% of the population of 15-year-old
students in each country/economy). In Indonesia socio-economically advantaged students (the top
25% in terms of socio-economic status) outperformed disadvantaged students (the bottom 25%)
by 34 score points in mathematics. This is smaller than the average difference between the two
groups (93 score points) across OECD countries.
• Between 2012 and 2022, the gap in mathematics performance between the top and the bottom
25% of students in terms of socio-economic status narrowed in Indonesia, while the average gap
across OECD countries remained stable.
• Socio-economic status was a predictor of performance in mathematics in all PISA participating
countries and economies. It accounted for 6% of the variation in mathematics performance in PISA
2022 in Indonesia (compared to 15% on average across OECD countries).
• Some 15% of disadvantaged students in Indonesia were able to score in the top quarter of
mathematics performance. These students can be considered academically resilient because,
despite their socio-economic disadvantage, they have attained educational excellence by
comparison with students in their own country. On average across OECD countries, 10% of
disadvantaged students scored in the top quarter of mathematics performance in their own
countries.

Gender differences in performance

• Girls outperformed boys in mathematics by 6 score points and in reading by 23 score points in
Indonesia. Globally, in mathematics, boys outperformed girls in 40 countries and economies, girls
outperformed boys in another 17 countries or economies, and no significant difference was found
in the remaining 24. In reading, girls, on average, scored above boys in all but two countries and
economies that participated in PISA 2022 (79 out of 81).
• In Indonesia, the share of low performers is similar among boys (83%) and girls (81%) in
mathematics; in reading, however, the share is larger among boys (70% of girls and 79% of boys
scored below Level 2 in reading).
• Between 2012 and 2022, performance in mathematics declined among boys , but remained stable
among girls in Indonesia.

How is school life in Indonesia?

Students’ sense of belonging at school and satisfaction with life

• In 2022, 87% of students in Indonesia reported that they make friends easily at school (OECD
average: 76%) and 86% felt that they belong at school (OECD average: 75%). Meanwhile, 16%
reported feeling lonely at school, and 13% like an outsider or left out of things at school (OECD
average: 16% and 17%). Compared to 2018, students’ sense of belonging at school did not change
significantly in Indonesia.
• Students’ satisfaction with life, more generally, declined in many countries and economies over
recent years. In 2022, 14% of students in Indonesia reported that they were not satisfied with their
lives: they rated their satisfaction with life between 0 and 4 on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. In 2018,
about the same number of students were not satisfied with life (13%). On average across OECD

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countries, the proportion of students who are not satisfied with life increased from 11% in 2015 to
16% in 2018 and 18% in 2022.

Figure 5. Students’ sense of belonging at school

Note: Numbers inside the figure correspond to percentages.

Source: OECD, PISA 2022 Database, Table II.B1.1.4.

Support and discipline in mathematics lessons

• In Indonesia, 57% of students reported that, in most mathematics lessons, the teacher shows an
interest in every student’s learning (OECD average: 63%), and 64% that the teacher gives extra
help when students need it (OECD average: 70%). In 2012, the corresponding shares were 62%
and 69%. Mathematics results in 2022 tended to decline less, on average, in education systems
where more students reported that teachers give extra help when students need it, compared to
ten years earlier.
• Many students study mathematics in a disciplinary climate that is not favourable to learning: in
2022, about 25% of students in Indonesia reported that they cannot work well in most or all lessons
(OECD average: 23%); 24% of students do not listen to what the teacher says (OECD average:
30%); 25% of students get distracted using digital devices (OECD average: 30%); and 27% get
distracted by other students who are using digital devices (OECD average: 25%). On average
across OECD countries, students were less likely to report getting distracted using digital devices
when the use of cell phones on school premises is banned.

Feeling safe at and around school

• PISA 2022 data show that in education systems where performance remained high and students’
sense of belonging improved, students tended to feel safer and less exposed to bullying and other
risks at their school.
• In Indonesia, 4% of students reported not feeling safe on their way to school (OECD average: 8%);
6% of students reported not feeling safe in their classrooms at school (OECD average: 7%); 17%
of students reported not feeling safe at other places at school (e.g. hallway, cafeteria, restroom)
(OECD average: 10%).
• Some 25% of girls and 30% of boys reported being the victim of bullying acts at least a few times
a month (OECD average: 20% of girls and 21% of boys). On average across OECD countries,

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fewer students were exposed to bullying in 2022 compared to 2018: for example, only 7% of
students reported that other students spread nasty rumours about them in 2022, compared to 11%
in 2018. In Indonesia, too, the corresponding proportions shrank (9% in 2022 compared to 20% in
2018).

Parental involvement in learning

• PISA data collected from school principals show that the percentage of parents who were involved
in school and learning decreased substantially between 2018 and 2022 in many
countries/economies. This was not the case in Indonesia. In 2022, 43% of students in Indonesia
were in schools whose principal reported that during the previous academic year at least half of all
families discussed their child’s progress with a teacher on their own initiative (and 49% on the
teacher’s initiative). In 2018, the corresponding number was 39% (and 40%). Systems that had
more positive trends in parental involvement between 2018 and 2022 (i.e. systems in which the
share of parents who discussed their child’s progress with a teacher on their own initiative shrank
less) tended to show more stable or improved performance in mathematics.

Learning during COVID-related school closures

• In Indonesia, 60% of students reported that their school building was closed for more than three
months due to COVID-19. On average across OECD countries, 51% of students experienced
similarly long school closures. In education systems where performance remained high and
students’ sense of belonging improved, fewer students experienced longer school closures.
• During remote learning, 33% of students in Indonesia had problems at least once a week with
understanding school assignments and 28% of students with finding someone who could help them
with schoolwork (OECD averages: 34% and 24%). In education systems where performance
remained high and students’ sense of belonging improved, fewer students encountered problems
during remote learning.
• Support for students’ well-being was often limited when their schools were closed. In Indonesia,
25% of students reported that they were supported daily through live virtual classes on a video
communication program. Only 17% of students reported that they were asked daily, by someone
from the school, how they were feeling (OECD averages: 51% and 13%).
• If school buildings have to close again in the future, many students across the OECD feel confident
about using digital technology for learning remotely but fewer students feel confident about taking
responsibility for their own learning. Some 55% of students in Indonesia feel confident or very
confident about using a video communication program and 70% of students feel confident or very
confident about motivating themselves to do school work (OECD averages: 77% and 58%).

What else does PISA tell us?

Resources invested in education

• Expenditure on education is related to student performance only to a certain extent. Among the
countries/economies whose cumulative expenditure per student, over all primary and secondary
school years between the ages of 6 and 15, was under USD 75 000 (PPP) in 2019, higher
expenditure on education was associated with higher scores in the PISA mathematics test. In
Indonesia, the cumulative expenditure per student, over ten years of age between 6 and 15, was
equivalent to about USD 19 700 (PPP).

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• In about half of all countries/economies with comparable data, school principals in 2022 were more
likely than their counterparts in 2018 to report a shortage of teaching staff. In 2022, 18% of students
in Indonesia were in schools whose principal reported that the school’s capacity to provide
instruction is hindered by a lack of teaching staff (and 13%, by inadequate or poorly qualified
teaching staff). In 2018, the corresponding proportions were 42% and 25%. In most
countries/economies, students attending schools whose principal reported shortages of teaching
staff scored lower in mathematics than students in schools whose principal reported fewer or no
shortages of teaching staff.

How students progress through schooling

• When they sat the PISA test in 2022, 51% of 15-year-old students in Indonesia were enrolled in
10th grade.
• In Indonesia, 85% reported that they had attended pre-primary education for one year or more
(OECD average: 94%). On average across OECD countries, students who had attended pre-
primary education for one year or more scored higher in mathematics at the age of 15 than students
who never attended or who had attended for less than one year, even after accounting for socio-
economic factors.
• Some 12% of students in Indonesia reported that they had repeated a grade at least once (OECD
average: 9%) after entering primary school. Grade repetition tends to be less prevalent in high
performing systems.

School autonomy

• In Indonesia, 56% of students attended a school where principals had the main responsibility for
hiring teachers (OECD average: 60%), and 70% were enrolled in a school where teachers had the
main responsibility for choosing which learning materials are used (OECD average: 76%). Many
high-performing school systems tend to entrust principals and teachers with these responsibilities.

Key features of PISA 2022

The content

• The PISA 2022 survey focused on mathematics, with reading and science as minor areas and
creative thinking as the innovative area of assessment. PISA 2022 also included an assessment
of young people’s financial literacy, which was optional for countries and economies. Results for
mathematics, reading and science are released on 5 December 2023 and results for creative
thinking and financial literacy in 2024.

The students

• Some 690 000 students took the assessment in 2022, representing about 29 million 15-year-olds
in the schools of the 81 participating countries and economies.
• In Indonesia, 13439 students, in 410 schools, completed the assessment in mathematics, reading
or science, representing about 3790 800 15-year-old students (an estimated 85% of the total
population of 15-year-olds).

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The assessment

• Students took two hour-long tests, each devoted to one subject. Different students were given
different test questions and different combinations of subjects (e.g. mathematics followed by
reading, or science followed by mathematics, etc.). Test items were a mixture of multiple-choice
questions and questions requiring students to construct their own responses.
• Students also answered a background questionnaire, which took about 35 minutes to complete.
The questionnaire sought information about the students themselves, their attitudes, dispositions
and beliefs, their homes, and their school and learning experiences. School principals completed
a questionnaire about school management, organisation, and the learning environment.
• Some countries/economies also distributed additional questionnaires, to students, parents and/or
teachers, to elicit more information. The findings from these optional questionnaires are not
covered by this note.

References

OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education, PISA, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en
OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results (Volume II): Learning During – and From – Disruption, PISA, OECD
Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a97db61c-en

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions
expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member
countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or
sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the
name of any territory, city or area.

For more information about PISA 2022 visit www.oecd.org/pisa

Explore, compare and visualise more data and analysis using http://gpseducation.oecd.org.
Questions can be directed to the PISA team at the Directorate for Education and Skills:
edu.pisa@oecd.org.
This note was written by Francesco Avvisati and Rodolfo Ilizaliturri, Directorate for Education and Skills.

This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC BY-
NC-SA 3.0 IGO). For specific information regarding the scope and terms of the licence as well as possible
commercial use of this work or the use of PISA data please consult Terms and Conditions on www.oecd.org.

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