Student performance is generally viewed as the main criterion variable when analysing equity in the outcomes of education. However, there is evidence that even with increasing equity in achievement, inequity in other important learning outcomes might still prevail. Self-beliefs like mathematics self-efficacy, i.e. students’ judgements of their own ability to solve tasks in mathematics, are often viewed as crucial learning outcomes, which affect the process of learning and are an important predictor of educational career choices. The second survey of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2003) provides data on self-related cognitions, motivations, learning behaviours and student performance in the area of Mathematics from 30 OECD and 10 non-OECD countries. It is deemed important to analyse the role of mathematics self-efficacy in conjunction (or comparison) with other self-beliefs like mathematics self-concept and mathematics anxiety. This paper will provide research findings on factors influencing self-efficacy beliefs as a learning outcome, review its predictive power for career expectations and discuss the importance of this construct when analysing equity in outcomes of education Most research in this area has typically been based on data from smaller surveys from just one country. PISA 2003 provides a unique opportunity to analyse the above relationships based on national representative samples and from a cross-national perspective. It also allows to review to what extent differences in these relationships are conditioned by educational systems and cultural contexts.