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If you are an IB student, you may be wondering what the average IB score is and how your results compare with students around the world. Looking at average scores can be useful for understanding general IB Diploma Programme (DP) performance, but remember that an individual score can vary considerably depending on subject choices, Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL) combinations, and performance in the DP core. In this post, we will break down the latest IB average score statistics, look at how the average has changed over recent years, and explain what these numbers can mean for IB students.
IB Average Score
According to the International Baccalaureate’s provisional statistics for the May 2026 assessment session, the average IB Diploma score was 30.8 points across all DP diploma candidates. The session also had a DP pass rate of 82.6% and an overall mean subject grade of 4.9.
What Is the Average IB Score?
For the May 2026 examination session, the average IB Diploma score was 30.8 points out of a possible 45. The IB Diploma qualification overview in the statistical bulletin reports that there were 131,467 DP students, representing 218 subjects, 151 countries, and 3,292 schools.
The average of 30.8 includes students registered in the Diploma and Retake categories, whether or not they ultimately received the diploma. Because the maximum possible IB Diploma score is 45 points, the global average sits at roughly two-thirds of the maximum available points.
IB Average Score 2026
Here are some of the key statistics for the May 2026 DP session:
Average total points: 30.8
Mean subject grade: 4.9
DP pass rate: 82.6%
Number of DP students: 131,467
Number of DP schools: 3,292
Number of countries: 151
Number of first languages: 181
Number of nationalities: 210
IB Average Score by Year
The IB average score does not remain exactly the same from one examination session to another. The May-session statistics in the bulletin show that the mean total score has remained relatively close to 30–32 points over the past five years.
Year | Average IB Score |
|---|---|
2022 | 32.0 |
2023 | 30.2 |
2024 | 30.3 |
2025 | 30.6 |
2026 | 30.8 |
The average decreased from 32.0 points in 2022 to 30.2 in 2023. Since then, it has gradually increased, reaching 30.8 points in 2026. It is important to keep the year in mind when comparing your results with an "IB average." Different examination sessions can have different distributions of candidates and results, so an average from one year should not automatically be treated as the benchmark for another.
What Is the Average IB Subject Grade?
The IB uses a 1–7 grading scale for individual DP subjects, with 7 being the highest grade. In May 2026, the overall mean DP subject grade was 4.9. This was unchanged from the mean grades reported for 2024 and 2025. The mean grade was 5.1 in 2022 and 4.8 in 2023. This means that a grade of around 5 was close to the overall average across DP subjects in the May 2026 session. However, subject averages can differ considerably, so comparing a grade in one subject directly with the overall 4.9 average does not provide the complete picture.
IB Average Grade by Subject Group
IB Subject Group | Mean Grade |
|---|---|
Studies in Language and Literature | 4.9 |
Language Acquisition | 5.2 |
Individuals and Societies | 4.8 |
Sciences | 4.5 |
Mathematics | 4.4 |
The Arts | 4.3 |
Interdisciplinary | 4.4 |
The figures show that averages vary across the IB curriculum. For example, Language Acquisition had a mean grade of 5.2, while The Arts had a mean grade of 4.3. However, these numbers should not be interpreted as a ranking of subject difficulty. Differences in candidate populations, course selection, HL/SL enrolment, assessment structures, and individual subjects within each group can all affect the resulting averages.
How Are IB Scores Distributed?
Knowing the average score is useful, but the distribution of results can provide a clearer picture of where students' scores fall. For the May 2026 session, the IB reported the following overall total-point distribution:
Total IB Points | Percentage of Students |
|---|---|
0–23 | 13.5% |
24–29 | 27.3% |
30–34 | 27.9% |
35–39 | 21.2% |
40–45 | 10.1% |
The 30–34 point range contained the largest proportion of students at 27.9%, closely followed by the 24–29 range at 27.3%. Meanwhile, approximately 10.1% of students received between 40 and 45 points. This distribution also demonstrates why the average alone does not tell the entire story. Students are spread across a wide range of scores rather than being concentrated precisely around 30.8.
What Is the Average Score for Students Who Receive the IB Diploma?
There is an important distinction between the average for all DP diploma candidates and the average among students who were actually awarded the diploma. According to the May 2026 bulletin, students who received the IB Diploma had a mean total score of 33.0 points and a mean subject grade of 5.2. Therefore:
All DP diploma candidates: 30.8 average points
Students awarded the diploma: 33.0 average points
The difference exists because the overall DP results include Diploma and Retake category students regardless of whether they were ultimately awarded the diploma.
What Is the IB Pass Rate?
The May 2026 IB Diploma pass rate was 82.6%. This means that just over four out of every five DP candidates included in the diploma results received the diploma. The bulletin shows the following DP pass rates:
2022: 86.1%
2023: 80.0%
2024: 80.5%
2025: 81.9%
2026: 82.6%
After falling between 2022 and 2023, the pass rate increased in each of the following three May assessment sessions. Remember that receiving the IB Diploma is not determined simply by reaching the global average. Diploma candidates must satisfy the IB's applicable diploma requirements.
How Common Is a 40+ IB Score?
Receiving 40 or more points places a student within a relatively small portion of the overall May 2026 score distribution. The IB statistics show that 10.1% of students scored between 40 and 45 points in 2026. This proportion has changed over recent May sessions:
Year | Percentage Scoring 40–45 |
|---|---|
2022 | 14.7% |
2023 | 8.9% |
2024 | 9.3% |
2025 | 9.8% |
2026 | 10.1% |
The figures show that approximately one in ten candidates scored 40-45 points in May 2026.
How Many Students Receive the IB Diploma?
In May 2026, there were 131,467 DP qualification students, compared with 122,736 in 2025 and 116,449 in 2024. Of the May 2026 candidates, 104,369 students were awarded the diploma, representing a 2.1% increase in the number of diplomas awarded compared with 2025. Among students awarded the diploma in 2026, the bulletin reports the following regional totals:
IB Africa, Europe and Middle East: 36,764
IB Americas: 28,834
IB Asia-Pacific: 20,619
What Is the Average IB Core Score?
IB Diploma students can receive up to three additional core points through their combined performance in the Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK). For May 2026, the mean number of core points was 1.6. For comparison, the mean was 1.5 in 2022, 1.4 in 2023, and 1.5 in both 2024 and 2025. The 2026 distribution shows that 48.4% of students received two core points, while 12.1% received all three.
IB Average Score by Popular Subjects
Your overall IB score is made up primarily of the grades you receive in your six subjects, so it can also be useful to look at the average grades for individual subjects. Some of the most popular subjects, based on the number of students reported in the May 2026 bulletin, were:
IB Subject | Students | Mean Grade |
|---|---|---|
English A: Language & Literature SL | 45,440 | 4.8 |
English B HL | 43,499 | 5.6 |
Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches SL | 42,905 | 4.5 |
Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation SL | 41,196 | 3.9 |
Business Management HL | 26,520 | 5.0 |
Biology HL | 22,064 | 4.3 |
Economics HL | 20,472 | 5.2 |
Chemistry HL | 20,748 | 4.9 |
History HL | 19,456 | 4.5 |
Psychology HL | 15,455 | 4.8 |
These figures show that average grades can vary noticeably between popular IB subjects. For example, English B HL had a mean grade of 5.6, while Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation SL had a mean of 3.9. The overall mean subject grade across the DP was 4.9 in May 2026.
Average Scores for Popular IB Sciences
Science subjects are particularly popular among IB students. The May 2026 results included the following mean grades:
- Biology HL: 4.3 across 22,064 students
- Biology SL: 4.5 across 33,585 students
- Chemistry HL: 4.9 across 20,748 students
- Chemistry SL: 4.6 across 18,475 students
- Physics HL: 4.3 across 19,035 students
- Physics SL: 5.0 across 14,461 students
- Sports, Exercise and Health Science HL: 4.7 across 1,942 students
- Sports, Exercise and Health Science SL: 3.9 across 6,313 students
Across the Sciences subject group as a whole, the mean grade was 4.5.
Average Scores for Popular IB Individuals and Societies Subjects
The Individuals and Societies group includes several of the most widely studied IB subjects. In May 2026:
- Business Management HL: 5.0 across 26,520 students
- Business Management SL: 4.9 across 14,167 students
- Economics HL: 5.2 across 20,472 students
- Economics SL: 5.0 across 11,305 students
- Geography HL: 5.3 across 5,229 students
- Geography SL: 4.9 across 4,724 students
- History HL: 4.5 across 19,456 students
- History SL: 4.8 across 9,460 students
- Psychology HL: 4.8 across 15,455 students
- Psychology SL: 4.5 across 13,895 students
Overall, Individuals and Societies subjects had a mean grade of 4.8 in the May 2026 assessment session.
Average Scores for Popular IB Mathematics Subjects
The IB Mathematics courses also show differences in their average grades:
Mathematics Course | Students | Mean Grade |
|---|---|---|
Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches HL | 26,591 | 5.0 |
Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches SL | 42,905 | 4.5 |
Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation HL | 8,500 | 4.6 |
Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation SL | 41,196 | 3.9 |
Across Mathematics as a whole, the May 2026 mean grade was 4.4.
It is important not to use these averages as a direct measure of which IB subjects are "easy" or "hard." Students taking different courses may have different academic backgrounds, interests, HL/SL combinations, and reasons for selecting a subject. The assessment format and candidate population also vary considerably between courses. Instead, subject averages are most useful as context for understanding the overall distribution of IB grades. Your subject choices should primarily reflect your interests, strengths, and any prerequisites for the university courses you are considering.
We hope you found this post helpful! For more useful materials associated with the IB, check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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