Romania's PISA 2025 results show 48% functional illiteracy, ranking bottom in Europe

PISA 2025 results reveal 48% of Romanian 15-year-olds lack basic reading comprehension, placing Romania at the bottom of European rankings in Reading, Math, and Science. A Romanian language teacher attributes this to 'cognitive laziness' and template-based thinking among students. This continues a long-standing trend of poor educational outcomes, but the high percentage underscores a systemic crisis with implications for future human capital and economic competitiveness.