Hong Kong schoolchildren have ranked third in an international reading assessment involving 57 countries and regions around the world.

The city was beaten only by Singapore, which took the top spot, and Ireland in the 2021 results for the Progress in the International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which was released on Wednesday.

More than 60 per cent of the places involved in the study of Primary Four pupils reported a decline in reading proficiency, but the research team said they were pleased to see Hong Kong schoolchildren were able to maintain high standards, despite problems caused by Covid-19.