Composite GEFRI Score
Systemwide critical constraints
Benin shows critically low readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (20th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints.
- Global percentile
- 20th
- Global rank
- #142
- Regional rank
- #17
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Country profile
Benin faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Infrastructure (33, 15th percentile), GEFRI Composite (29, 20th percentile) and Human Capital (22, 5th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.
Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Gender parity leans toward boys in secondary pathways, signalling persistent barriers for girls.
Governance presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Benin leads most clearly in Governance, sitting well above the peer average.
Most indicators are observed rather than imputed, so estimation uncertainty is limited.
Key insights
Falls below many peers at the 20th percentile.
Places 142nd worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 17th within Sub-Saharan Africa.
Scores range from Governance (44.2) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.
Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa
Composite GEFRI Score
| Global rank | Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 1 | South Africa | 57.44 |
| 74 | 2 | Mauritius | 55.85 |
| — | — | SeychellesMicrostate | 55.06 |
| 80 | 3 | Botswana | 53.75 |
| 99 | 4 | Ghana | 48.08 |
| 108 | 5 | Namibia | 44.23 |
| 114 | 6 | Cabo Verde | 39.44 |
| 120 | 7 | Eswatini | 36.39 |
| 125 | 8 | Equatorial Guinea | 35.21 |
| 126 | 9 | Senegal | 34.71 |
| 127 | 10 | Gabon | 34.67 |
| 128 | 11 | Rwanda | 34.54 |
| 133 | 12 | Kenya | 32.83 |
| 135 | 13 | Gambia, The | 32.46 |
| 136 | 14 | Cote d'Ivoire | 32.04 |
| 137 | 15 | Lesotho | 31.46 |
| 140 | 16 | Tanzania | 29.45 |
| 142 | 17 | Benin | 29.31 |
| — | — | Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate | 29.18 |
| 143 | 18 | Togo | 28.93 |
| 144 | 19 | Zimbabwe | 28.61 |
| 145 | 20 | CameroonFCS | 28.42 |
| 146 | 21 | Mauritania | 27.91 |
| 148 | 22 | Zambia | 27.69 |
| 150 | 23 | Angola | 27.20 |
| 153 | 24 | Guinea | 25.53 |
| 154 | 25 | MozambiqueFCS | 25.03 |
| 155 | 26 | Madagascar | 24.90 |
| 156 | 27 | Uganda | 24.77 |
| 157 | 28 | Congo, Rep.FCS | 24.76 |
| 158 | 29 | NigeriaFCS | 24.43 |
| 160 | 30 | EthiopiaFCS | 24.27 |
| 161 | 31 | Burkina FasoFCS | 24.20 |
| 162 | 32 | ComorosFCS | 24.06 |
| 163 | 33 | Sierra Leone | 23.91 |
| 164 | 34 | MalawiFCS | 23.31 |
| 165 | 35 | Liberia | 22.51 |
| 166 | 36 | Guinea-BissauFCS | 22.30 |
| 167 | 37 | MaliFCS | 21.77 |
| 168 | 38 | Burundi | 20.39 |
| 169 | 39 | SudanFCS | 19.96 |
| 170 | 40 | NigerFCS | 19.49 |
| 171 | 41 | EritreaFCS | 19.24 |
| 172 | 42 | Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS | 19.13 |
| 173 | 43 | ChadFCS | 17.06 |
| 175 | 44 | SomaliaFCS | 16.33 |
| 176 | 45 | South SudanFCS | 16.19 |
| 177 | 46 | Central African RepublicFCS | 16.10 |