2026 NCLEX Pass Rates by Country: What the 2025 Data Actually Means for You

2026 NCLEX Pass Rates by Country: What the 2025 Data Actually Means for You

I'm going to share something with you that most NCLEX prep companies won't.

Last month, I spent hours going through the official NCSBN data. The actual numbers from the organization that creates the NCLEX. What I found was eye-opening, and honestly, a little frustrating.

Because here's the thing: your chances of passing the NCLEX depend heavily on where you went to nursing school. And nobody talks about this.

A nurse from Kenya has a 69.1% chance of passing on their first try. A nurse from India? Just 40.5%.

That's not because Indian nurses are less capable. It's not because Kenyan nurses are smarter. It's because the education systems are different, and the NCLEX doesn't adjust for that.

If you're an internationally educated nurse preparing for the NCLEX, you deserve to know the real numbers. Not the generic "you can do it!" advice that ignores the actual challenges you face.

So let's talk about what the data actually says.

The Numbers No One Wants to Tell You

In 2024, 42,954 internationally educated nurses took the NCLEX-RN for the first time.

The overall pass rate? 53.81%.

Compare that to U.S.-educated nurses: 91.16%.

That's a 37-point gap.

Let me say that again: if you went to nursing school outside the U.S., you're starting with nearly 40 percentage points of disadvantage. Not because of your skills, but because of systemic differences in how nursing is taught around the world.

But here's where it gets really interesting. That 53.81% is an average. When you break it down by country, the differences are massive.

The Real Pass Rates by Country (2024 NCSBN Data)

Here's what the official data shows:

🇰🇪 Kenya: 69.1% pass rate

  • 3,740 candidates took the exam
  • 2,586 passed
  • The highest among major source countries

🇳🇵 Nepal: 61.6% pass rate

  • 2,659 candidates
  • 1,637 passed
  • Quietly outperforming much larger countries

🇰🇷 South Korea: 57.9% pass rate

  • 2,636 candidates
  • 1,527 passed
  • Middle of the pack

🇵🇭 Philippines: 51.7% pass rate

  • 28,112 candidates (the largest group by far, 65% of all international test-takers)
  • 14,545 passed
  • That means nearly half failed on their first attempt

🇮🇳 India: 40.5% pass rate

  • 5,807 candidates
  • Only 2,349 passed
  • The lowest among the top 5 countries

When I first saw these numbers, I had so many questions. Why is Kenya doing so much better than India? What's different about their nursing education? And most importantly, what can nurses from lower-performing countries do about it?

Why Kenya Leads (And What Everyone Else Can Learn)

I've talked to dozens of internationally educated nurses over the past year. The patterns are clear.

Kenya's advantages:

Kenya's nursing education follows the British system. That means an emphasis on critical thinking and clinical reasoning, not just memorizing facts. Sound familiar? That's exactly what the NCLEX tests.

English is also the primary language of instruction from the start. Kenyan nurses don't have to translate questions in their heads during the exam. That might seem small, but when you're racing against the clock on a 5-hour test, it matters.

And here's something interesting: Kenyan nurses often train in resource-limited settings. They learn to problem-solve without all the fancy equipment. That actually builds stronger clinical judgment skills.

What this means for you:

If you're from a country with a lower pass rate, you're not doomed. But you need to understand what you're up against so you can prepare strategically.

The gap isn't about intelligence. It's about alignment between your training and what the NCLEX expects.

Why Filipino Nurses Face Unique Challenges

The Philippines sends more nurses to take the NCLEX than any other country. By a lot.

28,112 Filipino nurses took the exam in 2024. That's 65% of all international candidates.

The 51.7% pass rate means roughly half are failing on their first attempt. That's thousands of talented nurses who have to retake the exam, pay again, wait again, stress again.

What's going on?

A few things:

The ESL factor is real. Yes, English is an official language in the Philippines. Yes, nursing education is conducted in English. But many Filipino nurses still think in Tagalog first. When you're reading a tricky NCLEX question about which patient to see first, that extra cognitive step of translating can slow you down. And the NCLEX is timed.

The education style is different. Philippine nursing programs tend to emphasize lectures and task completion. The NCLEX emphasizes clinical judgment and autonomous decision-making. "What would YOU do first?" is a very different question when your training focused on "follow the physician's orders."

Clinical ratios are different. In Philippine hospitals, nurses often manage 15-30 patients at a time. In the U.S., it's more like 4-8. The clinical experience is just different.

None of this means Filipino nurses aren't excellent nurses. They are. But the NCLEX is testing for a specific style of nursing practice, and the training doesn't always align.

Here's something else the data shows:

Filipino nurses' pass rates dropped throughout 2024. In Q1, it was 57.5%. By Q4, it had fallen to 45.7%. That's an 11.8-point drop over the course of the year.

I don't know exactly why that happens. Maybe later cohorts include more repeat testers. Maybe study fatigue sets in. But it suggests that if you're scheduling your NCLEX, earlier in the year might be better.

Why Indian Nurses Have the Hardest Road

I'm going to be honest: the 40.5% pass rate for Indian nurses is painful to look at.

Nearly 6 out of 10 Indian nurses fail the NCLEX on their first attempt.

This isn't because Indian nurses aren't smart or capable. Indian nursing programs produce skilled clinicians. But there are some significant gaps between Indian nursing education and what the NCLEX expects.

The pharmacology problem:

This is huge and nobody talks about it enough.

In India, you learn Paracetamol. The NCLEX calls it Acetaminophen.
In India, you learn Pethidine. The NCLEX calls it Meperidine.
In India, you learn Adrenaline. The NCLEX calls it Epinephrine.

It's not just a few drugs. It's systematic. Indian nurses essentially have to relearn pharmacology naming conventions before they can take the NCLEX. That's a massive undertaking that most prep courses don't even address.

The clinical judgment gap:

Indian nursing education has traditionally been more lecture-based and task-oriented. You learn to complete procedures correctly. You learn to follow protocols.

The NCLEX asks: "You have four patients. Which one do you see first?"

That requires a different kind of thinking. It requires autonomous clinical judgment that Indian training may not emphasize as heavily.

The test format:

Many Indian nurses have never experienced anything like the NCLEX. Five hours of computer adaptive testing. Select all that apply questions. Case studies that span multiple screens.

The format itself can be overwhelming if you've never practiced in that environment.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

Look, I get it. These numbers can feel discouraging.

If you're from India and you just learned you're starting with a 40.5% baseline, that's scary. If you're from the Philippines and half your peers are failing, that's stressful.

But here's what I want you to understand:

These numbers are averages. They include everyone. People who prepared well and people who didn't. People who used strategic resources and people who just crammed random facts.

You can be above average. The nurses who pass aren't superhuman. They prepared differently. They focused on clinical judgment instead of memorization. They practiced questions that actually match the NCLEX format. They understood the specific gaps they needed to fill.

Thousands of international nurses pass every year. In 2024, over 23,000 internationally educated candidates earned their licenses. The path is absolutely possible.

The question isn't whether you can pass. The question is whether you're preparing in a way that addresses your specific challenges.

What Actually Helps (Based on the Data)

After analyzing all of this, here's what I think matters most for international nurses:

1. Focus on clinical judgment, not memorization.

The NCLEX isn't testing whether you know facts. It's testing whether you can think like a nurse. Can you prioritize? Can you delegate? Can you recognize when a patient is deteriorating?

This is the biggest gap for most international nurses. If your training emphasized following orders and completing tasks, you need to actively practice autonomous decision-making.

2. Master American pharmacology naming.

This is especially critical for Indian nurses, but it matters for everyone. You need to know American drug names cold. Generic names, not brand names. Acetaminophen, not Tylenol. This is non-negotiable.

3. Practice in the actual test format.

The NCLEX is a marathon. Five hours. Computer adaptive testing. Case studies. Select all that apply.

You need to practice in conditions that mirror the real exam. Not just answering questions, but answering them timed, on a computer, for hours at a time. Build that stamina.

4. Understand American healthcare context.

HIPAA. Patient rights. Scope of practice for LPNs vs. RNs vs. UAPs. American isolation precautions. American lab value ranges.

Some of this is different from what you learned. You need to know the American way because that's what the NCLEX tests.

5. Give yourself enough time.

U.S.-educated nurses might be fine with 4-6 weeks of prep. International nurses often need longer. 8-12 weeks, sometimes more for countries with lower baseline pass rates.

Don't rush it. One extra month of preparation is better than paying $200 to retake the exam.

The Resources That Actually Address These Gaps

I built Your Nursing Space specifically because I saw these gaps and wanted to help fill them.

Our NCLEX FastTrack™ All-in-One Bundle includes everything international nurses need:

  • 40 video lectures focused on clinical judgment (not just content review)
  • 3,000+ CAT-style practice questions with detailed rationales
  • Customizable study planners for 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12-week timelines
  • The crash courses and notes that complement our free YouTube content

For nurses struggling specifically with pharmacology, which is a huge issue for Indian nurses especially, our Pharmacology Mastery Notes covers 65+ pages of drug classes using American naming conventions.

And if you need extensive practice (which most international nurses do), our 3,000+ Question Bank gives you realistic NGN-style questions with rationales that explain the "why" behind correct answers.

What's Coming in 2026

One more thing you should know: the NCLEX is getting harder, not easier.

The Next Generation NCLEX format (introduced in 2023) is continuing to evolve. The emphasis on clinical judgment is increasing. More case studies. More complex scenarios. More questions that require you to think through multi-step problems.

For international nurses, this means the clinical judgment gap becomes even more important to address. Memorization will help you less and less. Critical thinking will matter more and more.

If you're planning to take the NCLEX in 2026, start preparing now. Give yourself the time to develop those clinical reasoning skills, not just cram facts.

The Bottom Line

Here's what I want you to take away from all this data:

Your country of education affects your baseline odds. That's just reality. A 40.5% pass rate is different from a 69.1% pass rate.

But it doesn't determine your outcome. The nurses who pass understand their specific challenges and prepare accordingly. They don't use generic advice. They address the actual gaps.

The NCLEX is passable. Over 23,000 internationally educated nurses did it in 2024. You can too.

You need the right preparation. Not more preparation, the right preparation. Clinical judgment. American pharmacology. Test format familiarity. Realistic practice.

I know this article was heavy on numbers. But I think you deserve to know the truth about what you're facing. The generic "believe in yourself!" advice doesn't help if you don't understand the real challenges.

Now you do. And now you can prepare strategically.

You've already made it through nursing school. You've already proven you can do hard things. The NCLEX is one more hard thing, but it's absolutely within your reach.

Let's make "I passed!" the next chapter of your story.

Nurse June
Founder, Your Nursing Space

Data Sources:

  • NCSBN 2024 NCLEX Examination Statistics (Table 9: Percent Passing by Country of Education)
  • NCSBN 2024 RN Practice Analysis
  • NCLEX.com Official Statistics

If you found this helpful, check out our other resources for international nurses:

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