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How rare are 40+ IB points? May 2026 share and trend

By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator

Published 5 October 2026Data: IB Diploma Programme provisional statistical bulletin, May 2026

Short answer: In May 2026, 10,521 diploma holders (plus fewer than 10 candidates not awarded the diploma) scored 40 to 45, the top 10.1% of the 104,369 candidates with a points total. Since May 2023 the IB no longer publishes how many students score 45; earlier bulletins reported 772 perfect 45s in May 2022 and 292 in November 2021.

Scoring 40 or more IB points is often treated as the mark of an elite result. The IB's official provisional statistical bulletin for May 2026 lets us put a number on that: 10.1% of the 104,369 diploma candidates with a points total landed in the 40-45 band.

This page explains what that share means, how it has shifted across sessions since November 2020, and why you will not find a recent count of perfect 45s in the bulletins.

Key figures

30.9

Mean total points

10,521*

Diploma holders on 40-45 points

10.1%

Share at 40-45 points

772

Perfect 45s, May 2022

292

Perfect 45s, November 2021

* plus fewer than 10 candidates not awarded the diploma - the IB does not publish counts under 10.

Share of candidates with 40-45 points, May sessions

Share of candidates with 40-45 points, May sessions
SessionShare of candidates with 40-45 points, May sessions
May 202214.7%
May 20238.9%
May 20249.3%
May 20259.8%
May 202610.1%

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The May 2026 share at 40-45

The bulletin lists 10,521 diploma holders in the 40-45 band. It also notes that a small group of fewer than 10 candidates scored in this band but were not awarded the diploma, so 10,521 is not the exact number of students at 40-45. The reliable headline is the top share of 10.1%. For context, the mean total in May 2026 was 30.9 points, so the 40-45 band sits well above the typical result.

What 10.1% means in percentile terms

A top share of 10.1% means that reaching 40 puts a candidate roughly in the top tenth of everyone who received a points total in May 2026. Put differently, the great majority of the cohort finished below the band. Because the share is measured per session, the exact threshold for 'top tenth' can move slightly from one session to the next, so treat it as a close guide rather than a fixed percentile.

How the 40-45 share has moved across sessions

In the May sessions the share was 14.7% in May 2022, fell to 8.9% in May 2023, then rose to 9.3% in May 2024, 9.8% in May 2025 and 10.1% in May 2026. The November sessions show a wider swing: 11.8% in November 2020, a peak of 19.8% in November 2021, then 15.5% in November 2022, 10.2% in November 2023 and 10.6% in November 2024. The bulletins give the shares but not the reasons, so these figures alone do not explain the changes. They do show that the recent May sessions have been fairly steady and close to 10%.

Perfect 45s: what was published and why it stopped

The last published counts of students with a perfect 45 are 772 in May 2022 and 292 in November 2021. After that, the policy changed. The bulletin states that from the May 2023 session the IB no longer publishes the number of students achieving 45 points. This is why May 2026 and the other newer sessions have no perfect-45 figure. The 40-45 share is the best public measure of top performance that remains.

Key takeaways

  • In May 2026, 10.1% of candidates with a points total scored 40-45.
  • The 10,521 diploma holders in the band is not an exact count of students at 40-45, because fewer than 10 further candidates were not awarded the diploma.
  • Since May 2023 the May share has risen each year, from 8.9% to 10.1%.
  • The latest published perfect-45 counts are 772 in May 2022 and 292 in November 2021; the IB no longer publishes this figure from the May 2023 session.

Frequently asked questions

How many students scored 40 or more in May 2026?
The bulletin shows 10,521 diploma holders in the 40-45 band, plus fewer than 10 candidates in the band who were not awarded the diploma. So 10,521 is not the exact total. The share is 10.1% of candidates with a points total.
Can I find how many students got 45 points in May 2026?
No. From the May 2023 session the IB no longer publishes the number of students achieving 45 points. The last counts are 772 for May 2022 and 292 for November 2021.

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Sources