IB statistics
IB results and statistics
Official figures from the IB's Diploma Programme statistical bulletins, explained: the May 2026 results, how rare each score is, and grade distributions for 57 subjects at Higher and Standard Level.
May 2026 at a glance
131,467
Diploma students
30.9
Mean total points
82.6%
Diploma pass rate
151
Countries
May 2026 figures are provisional: the IB publishes a final bulletin later in the year.
Results and explainers
- IB results May 2026: points, pass rate and score distributionMay 2026 IB results from the provisional bulletin: 82.6% pass rate, mean 30.9 points, the points distribution and how 2026 compares with earlier May sessions.
- What is a good IB score? Percentiles from May 2026What counts as a good IB score? Real May 2026 (provisional) percentiles: the 30.9 average, what the top 10.1% looks like, how 40+ compares, and how to set a target.
- How hard is a 7 in the IB? Share of 7s by subject, May 2026See which IB subjects with large entries have the lowest and highest share of 7s in May 2026 (provisional), from Design Technology SL at 0.3% to Chinese B SL at 34%.
- How rare are 40+ IB points? May 2026 share and trend10.1% of May 2026 (provisional) IB diploma candidates with a result scored 40-45 points. See what that means, how the share has moved since 2020, and why 45 counts vanished.
- IB diploma pass rate explained: May 2026 results and trendsWhat counts as passing the IB diploma, the May 2026 (provisional) pass rate of 82.6%, how it has moved since May 2022, and why some diplomas are not awarded.
- How IB grade boundaries work: who sets them and why they moveHow IB grade boundaries are set after marking, why they shift between sessions, and how to use published grade distributions to judge a subject.
- Average IB score over time: May and November sessionsAverage IB total points, pass rate and share of top scorers for May 2022 to May 2026 (provisional) and November 2020 to November 2024, from the IB's official bulletins.
- IB results May 2025: average score, pass rate and statisticsMay 2025 IB results: 128,398 diploma candidates, an average of 30.6 points, an 81.9% pass rate, the full points distribution and earlier May sessions.
Grade distributions by subject
Mean grade and share of 7s in May 2026. Select a subject for its full grade distribution, Higher vs Standard Level and the change since the previous May session. May 2026 figures are provisional: the IB publishes a final bulletin later in the year.
| Subject | HL mean | SL mean | HL 7s | SL 7s | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic ab initio | - | 4.7 | - | 14.3% | 391 |
| Arabic B | 5.6 | 5.5 | 12.8% | 12.3% | 2,627 |
| Biology | 4.5 | 4.3 | 7.4% | 5.5% | 55,649 |
| Brazilian Social Studies | - | 5.1 | - | 8.7% | 503 |
| Business Management | 5.0 | 4.9 | 6.6% | 10.0% | 40,687 |
| Chemistry | 4.9 | 4.5 | 15.1% | 10.5% | 39,223 |
| Chinese B | 6.0 | 5.7 | 33.6% | 34.0% | 4,216 |
| Computer Science | 4.8 | 4.4 | 10.9% | 8.4% | 8,676 |
| Dance | 4.5 | 4.1 | 6.1% | 5.2% | 857 |
| Danish B | 5.4 | 4.9 | 16.1% | 9.1% | 350 |
| Design Technology | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.4% | 0.3% | 4,125 |
| Digital Society | 4.4 | 4.5 | 2.3% | 3.1% | 2,444 |
| Dutch B | 5.7 | 4.9 | 19.9% | 5.3% | 620 |
| Economics | 5.2 | 5.0 | 14.7% | 14.3% | 31,777 |
| English A: Language and Literature | 4.8 | 5.0 | 3.8% | 6.1% | 81,308 |
| English A: Literature | 4.7 | 5.2 | 2.3% | 10.1% | 34,214 |
| English B | 5.6 | 5.4 | 11.7% | 13.0% | 28,496 |
| Environmental Systems and Societies | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.4% | 5.0% | 24,821 |
| Film | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.1% | 2.0% | 4,833 |
| French A: Language and Literature | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.5% | 5.7% | 1,971 |
| French A: Literature | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.4% | 7.6% | 675 |
| French ab initio | - | 4.7 | - | 8.5% | 5,964 |
| French B | 5.1 | 5.1 | 16.5% | 12.6% | 16,127 |
| Geography | 5.3 | 4.9 | 12.7% | 7.5% | 9,953 |
| German A: Language and Literature | 5.3 | 5.2 | 9.4% | 9.0% | 1,267 |
| German A: Literature | 5.3 | 5.2 | 6.9% | 11.3% | 751 |
| German ab initio | - | 5.0 | - | 8.8% | 1,535 |
| German B | 5.5 | 5.1 | 18.3% | 13.0% | 4,276 |
| Global Politics | 5.0 | 4.7 | 6.1% | 4.1% | 11,496 |
| Hindi B | 5.2 | 5.7 | 4.0% | 12.4% | 1,927 |
| History | 4.5 | 4.8 | 2.6% | 3.3% | 47,655 |
| Indonesian B | 5.7 | 5.8 | 18.9% | 17.8% | 644 |
| Italian ab initio | - | 4.9 | - | 10.0% | 580 |
| Italian B | 5.8 | 5.1 | 38.4% | 17.0% | 854 |
| Japanese ab initio | - | 4.8 | - | 15.3% | 502 |
| Japanese B | 6.0 | 5.0 | 44.8% | 19.5% | 600 |
| Latin | 4.5 | 4.2 | 15.8% | 8.1% | 919 |
| Literature and Performance | - | 5.0 | - | 5.5% | 616 |
| Mandarin ab initio | - | 5.2 | - | 24.2% | 1,450 |
| Marine Science | - | 3.8 | - | 3.6% | 523 |
| Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches | 5.0 | 4.5 | 16.8% | 8.5% | 69,586 |
| Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation | 4.6 | 3.9 | 10.0% | 3.7% | 52,696 |
| Music | 4.8 | 4.4 | 7.9% | 4.2% | 2,958 |
| Philosophy | 4.9 | 4.9 | 8.6% | 8.6% | 5,107 |
| Physics | 5.0 | 4.3 | 20.5% | 11.1% | 33,496 |
| Psychology | 4.8 | 4.5 | 6.0% | 4.0% | 29,350 |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology | 4.8 | 4.5 | 7.7% | 2.6% | 2,684 |
| Spanish A: Language and Literature | 4.8 | 4.9 | 2.6% | 4.4% | 8,077 |
| Spanish A: Literature | 4.7 | 4.3 | 2.2% | 2.9% | 5,779 |
| Spanish ab initio | - | 4.9 | - | 9.5% | 11,226 |
| Spanish B | 5.2 | 4.8 | 16.5% | 8.0% | 31,534 |
| Sports, Exercise and Health Science | 4.7 | 3.9 | 6.9% | 1.9% | 8,255 |
| Swedish B | 5.3 | 5.2 | 14.4% | 13.2% | 371 |
| Theatre | 5.1 | 4.6 | 12.8% | 6.7% | 3,670 |
| Turkey in the 20th Century | - | 5.5 | - | 14.6% | 753 |
| Visual Arts | 4.3 | 4.0 | 2.9% | 1.2% | 15,785 |
| World Religions | - | 4.6 | - | 2.3% | 1,917 |