On most international rankings of universities, Europe does not do very well (holding only 13 of the top 50 places in the QS World University Rankings, even if you include Switzerland). And when it comes to 15-year-olds who take the standardised PISA test (see picture below),  European countries trail their Asian counterparts, often by a wide margin.

Among EU countries, Finland has the school students who do best in reading, math and science. One reason: for decades, all governments, left and right, have recognised that education is critical for economic growth. That focus helps explain why Finland moved up three places to No. 4 in the World Economic Forum’s most recent Global Competitiveness Report. The strength of the Chinese education system is making the country more innovative, as the steep trajectory of its number of home-grown patents shows.

9th issue of the Futures Magazine.

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