Graphic detail | A rising tide

It’s better to be a poor pupil in a rich country than the reverse

Country and family income are equally important for predicting students’ test scores

THERE ARE some things money can’t buy. Education, however, does not appear to be among them—at least as measured by performance on international exams. On average, pupils in wealthy countries obtain vastly higher test scores than those in developing ones. In turn, strong students tend to become productive workers, making the mostly rich economies they join richer still.

This article appeared in the Graphic detail section of the print edition under the headline “A rising tide”

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