What Is the Average IB Score? 2026 Statistics

The average IB Diploma score in the May 2026 assessment session was 30.8 points, according to the International Baccalaureate's official statistical bulletin. The average subject grade was 4.9 out of 7, and 82.6% of students in the Diploma results population were awarded the IB Diploma.

There is another useful number, though. Among students who successfully received the Diploma, the average score was higher at 33.0 points.

So if you are trying to work out whether 30, 35 or 40 is a good IB score, it helps to look beyond the headline average and see how scores were actually distributed.

All figures in this article come from the IB's May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

What is the average IB score in 2026?

For the May 2026 assessment session, the IB reported:

• Average IB score: 30.8 points
• Average subject grade: 4.9 out of 7
• DP pass rate: 82.6%
• Maximum possible score: 45 points

The 30.8-point average is probably the number most students are looking for when they search for the average IB score worldwide.

However, there is an important detail behind it. The 30.8 figure is not calculated using only students who passed.

The IB defines its DP Diploma Results population as including Diploma and Retake-category students whether or not they were eventually awarded the Diploma. In May 2026, this group contained 104,369 students.

Of those students:

• 86,217 were awarded the Diploma
• 18,152 were not awarded the Diploma

So the 30.8-point average includes results from both groups. It is useful as a measure of overall Diploma candidate performance, but it is not the same as asking what the average student who successfully received the Diploma scored.

Source: IB May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

What is the average IB score among students who pass?

If we look only at students who were actually awarded the IB Diploma, the May 2026 average rises to 33.0 points.

These students also had an average subject grade of 5.2 out of 7, compared with 4.9 across the broader Diploma results population.

So there are really two useful averages:

If you already know that you are likely to pass and are comparing your score with other successful Diploma students, 33 points is probably the more useful benchmark.

If you are simply asking for the worldwide IB average across the full results population, 30.8 points is the better answer.

Both figures come from the IB's May 2026 statistical bulletin.

What is the average IB score by year?

The worldwide average is not exactly the same every year.

The IB's May-session statistics show the following mean scores:

The average fell from 32.0 points in 2022 to 30.2 in 2023. Since then, it has gradually moved upwards, reaching 30.8 in May 2026.

It is tempting to look at a chart like this and immediately try to explain why one year was higher or lower than another. The statistics alone cannot tell us that. Changes in averages can reflect assessment arrangements, the candidate population and other factors, so we would need additional evidence before attributing the movement to a particular cause.

What we can say from the official figures is that the May-session average has remained at roughly 30 to 31 points since 2023.

Our average IB score by year page has the average and the spread of scores for every session since November 2021, November sessions included.

Source: IB May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

How are IB scores distributed?

An average of 30.8 does not mean most students received exactly 30 or 31 points.

The score distribution gives a much better picture of where students actually ended up:

The largest individual group was 30–34 points, containing 27.9% of students. This also helps explain why the overall mean of 30.8 sits where it does: a large share of candidates were clustered around the high 20s and low-to-mid 30s.

Using the published score bands, we can also calculate that:

• 59.2% scored 30 points or higher
• 31.3% scored 35 points or higher
• 10.1% scored between 40 and 45 points

The first two percentages are calculations based on the score bands published by the IB rather than separate statistics reported directly in the bulletin.

Looking at the whole distribution is usually more useful than looking at the average alone because it lets you see roughly where your own score sits relative to the wider May 2026 cohort.

Source: IB May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

Is 30 a good IB score?

A score of 30 points is very close to the worldwide May 2026 average of 30.8.

It is therefore a fairly typical IB Diploma score rather than an unusually low or unusually high one.

The IB Diploma itself requires at least 24 points, alongside several other passing conditions. Reaching 24 points alone does not automatically guarantee that the Diploma is awarded because students also need to satisfy requirements involving their HL and SL results and the DP core. The IB explains these conditions in its official Diploma passing criteria.

Whether 30 is a good score for you depends more on what you want to do with it.

For one university or degree programme, 30 points might comfortably meet the entry requirement. For another, particularly a selective programme with specific HL requirements, it may not be enough.

As a comparison with IB students globally, though, 30 is around average.

Is 35 a good IB score?

A score of 35 points is clearly above the May 2026 global average.

The IB reported that 21.2% of students scored between 35 and 39 points, while another 10.1% scored between 40 and 45.

Together, that means about 31.3% of the May 2026 Diploma results population scored 35 points or higher.

Put another way, a 35 places you above the score range achieved by roughly two-thirds of the students represented in these bands.

That does not automatically tell you whether 35 will get you into a particular university. Universities can care about your total points, specific HL grades, prerequisite subjects and sometimes additional admissions requirements.

But purely in terms of worldwide IB performance, 35 is a strong score.

Is 40 a good IB score?

Yes. A score of 40 points or more is a very strong IB result.

Only 10.1% of students were in the 40–45 point range in the May 2026 results distribution.

That means roughly one in ten students represented in the Diploma results data reached 40 points or higher.

There is still a meaningful difference between 40 and the maximum score of 45, but both sit well above the worldwide average of 30.8. Our page on how many IB students get a perfect 45 also has the share scoring 40 to 45 in every session since May 2019.

If you are aiming for 40+, it also helps to remember how an IB score is constructed. Students can receive up to seven points from each of their six subjects, giving a maximum of 42 subject points, with up to three additional points available from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. The IB's assessment guidance explains how these points contribute to the Diploma.

What is the average IB subject grade?

The average subject grade across the May 2026 DP Diploma results population was 4.9 out of 7.

Among students who successfully received the Diploma, the average subject grade was slightly higher at 5.2 out of 7.

It is worth keeping subject grades and total Diploma points separate. Your overall IB score combines the results from six subjects with up to three additional core points from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay.

A student averaging around a 5 across their subjects will therefore generally end up around the overall IB average, although the exact final score also depends on the individual subject grades and core points.

Source: IB May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

How have average scores among students who pass changed?

Looking only at students who were awarded the Diploma gives us another useful comparison:

The average among successful Diploma students has therefore stayed close to 33 points since 2023.

Their average subject grade has also been remarkably stable:

For a student trying to understand what a fairly typical successful Diploma result looks like, these figures are arguably more informative than the overall 30.8 mean.

Source: IB May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

What percentage of IB students pass?

The May 2026 DP pass rate was 82.6% within the Diploma results population reported by the IB.

Of the 104,369 students represented in that results group:

• 86,217 received the Diploma
• 18,152 did not

A student can fail to receive the Diploma for more than one reason. While the minimum total is 24 points, the IB also has requirements concerning subject grades, HL and SL point totals, and completion of the Diploma Programme core.

So a score should not always be interpreted in isolation from the rest of a student's results.

You can read the full passing requirements on the IB's official DP passing criteria page.

Is the average IB score increasing?

Recently, yes, but only gradually.

The May-session mean increased from:

30.2 in 2023 → 30.3 in 2024 → 30.6 in 2025 → 30.8 in 2026.

That is a 0.6-point increase over three years.

However, the 2026 average remains below the 32.0-point mean recorded in 2022.

It is therefore more accurate to say that average scores have been gradually increasing since 2023, rather than claiming that IB scores are on a long-term upward trend.

Is the May 2026 data final?

The source used throughout this article is the May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin.

The IB explains that the provisional bulletin is prepared using figures taken shortly before results are released. A confirmed statistical release follows later, although the IB notes that significant changes are not anticipated.

For that reason, the figures on this page should be read as the official provisional May 2026 statistics.

You can view the complete IB May 2026 Provisional Statistical Bulletin here.

Average IB score FAQ

What is the average IB score worldwide?

The average IB Diploma score in the May 2026 assessment session was 30.8 points out of 45, according to the International Baccalaureate's provisional statistical bulletin.

What is the average IB score out of 45?

The May 2026 worldwide average was 30.8 out of 45.

Students who successfully received the Diploma averaged 33.0 out of 45.

What is the average IB grade?

The average individual subject grade in May 2026 was 4.9 out of 7 across the DP Diploma results population. Among students awarded the Diploma, the mean subject grade was 5.2.

What is a good IB score?

There is no universal cutoff for a "good" IB score because it depends on your university and personal goals.

For comparison with the May 2026 worldwide results:

• 30 points is around average
• 35 points is clearly above average
• 40 points places you in the highest published score band, which contained 10.1% of students
• 45 points is the maximum possible Diploma score

What percentage of students score 40 or above?

10.1% of students were in the 40–45 point range in the May 2026 Diploma results distribution.

What percentage of students score 35 or above?

Based on the IB's published bands, 31.3% scored 35–45 points in May 2026. This is calculated by adding the 21.2% who scored 35–39 and the 10.1% who scored 40–45.

What percentage of students score 30 or above?

Based on the published distribution, 59.2% scored 30 points or more. This combines the 30–34, 35–39 and 40–45 score bands.

What is the minimum score needed to pass the IB Diploma?

Students need at least 24 points, but 24 points alone does not guarantee the Diploma. The IB also requires candidates to meet additional conditions involving their subject grades, HL and SL totals, CAS, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay.

What should you take away from the average?

If you received around 30 or 31 points, you are very close to the worldwide May 2026 average. A score of 35 is comfortably above average, while 40 or more sits within a score range achieved by roughly one in ten students.

But your IB score is most useful when viewed in context. A 34 can be an excellent result if it comfortably gets you into the university programme you want. A 39 may still be frustrating if a particular course requires a 7 in an HL subject where you received a 6.

The statistics are useful because they tell you roughly where you sit among other IB students. They should not become a reason to judge your result without considering what you actually need it for.

For May 2026, the simplest benchmark is still a useful one: 30.8 points was the overall average, while students who received the Diploma averaged 33.0 points.

Those two numbers give a much clearer picture of IB performance than the average alone.