Country profile

Bahrain

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & PakistanHigh income1.59M inhabitants

Last updated December 22, 2025

Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

Bahrain demonstrates early-stage readiness (64th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

57.41Composite score

Global percentile: 64th
Global rank: #64
Regional rank: #7
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

73.47

88th percentileGlobal avg. 56.42

Human Capital

51.01

54th percentileGlobal avg. 46.98

Innovation

35.93

41st percentileGlobal avg. 42.60

Governance

52.48

66th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71

Access & Parity

74.19

63rd percentileGlobal avg. 50.60

Country profile

Bahrain performs close to the global average across all GEFRI dimensions. Progress is evident, yet stronger ambition is needed to reach futures readiness among global peers.

All or most indicators are based on observed data, giving planners a dependable evidence base for decisions. Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. High regulatory quality supports coherent, forward-looking education reforms. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Innovation presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Bahrain leads most clearly in School Access and Gender Parity, sitting well above the peer average.

Key insights

Sits above the global median at the 64th percentile.
Places 64th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 7th within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.
Scores range from Access & Parity (74.2) to Innovation (35.9), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Composite GEFRI score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
17	1	Israel	74.24
32	2	United Arab Emirates	70.10
39	3	Malta	64.34
41	4	Saudi Arabia	63.68
56	5	Qatar	59.67
62	6	Kuwait	57.82
64	7	Bahrain	57.41
65	8	Jordan	57.41
81	9	Oman	53.74
82	10	Morocco	53.24
86	11	Tunisia	52.02
87	12	Algeria	51.24
90	13	Iran, Islamic Rep.	50.79
99	14	Egypt, Arab Rep.	48.93
105	15	West Bank and GazaFCS	45.80
116	16	LibyaFCS	38.62
118	17	IraqFCS	38.08
125	18	Djibouti	35.55
126	19	LebanonFCS	35.37
139	20	Pakistan	29.77
149	21	Syrian Arab RepublicFCS	26.62
163	22	Yemen, Rep.FCS	22.34
173	23	AfghanistanFCS	16.59