country profile

Bahrain

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & PakistanHigh income1.60M population

Last updated July 15, 2026

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Emerging readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Access & Parity is a strength, but Innovation lags

Bahrain demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (66th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions.

58.20Composite score
Global percentile
66th
Global rank
#62
Regional rank
#7
Viewing data for
Progressing readiness
Infrastructure
71.27
87th percentileGlobal avg. 55.13
Emerging readiness
Human Capital
51.03
52nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.36
Severely underprepared
Innovation
42.29
45th percentileGlobal avg. 46.19
Emerging readiness
Governance
52.24
66th percentileGlobal avg. 47.46
Progressing readiness
Access & Parity
74.19
64th percentileGlobal avg. 48.49

Country profile

Bahrain remains in the emerging-readiness range, with progress visible but major gaps still limiting future readiness. Most dimension scores sit close to global norms, without a single dimension standing far above the rest.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. 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. 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 66th percentile.

Places 62nd worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 7th within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.

Scores range from Access & Parity (74.2) to Innovation (42.3), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

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

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
171Israel74.74
332United Arab Emirates69.85
393Malta64.27
414Saudi Arabia63.88
535Qatar60.47
576Jordan58.77
627Bahrain58.20
648Oman57.74
799Morocco53.94
8210Kuwait53.39
9411Egypt, Arab Rep.49.54
9612Tunisia49.30
10313West Bank and GazaFCS46.28
10414Iran, Islamic Rep.FCS46.15
11115Algeria40.96
11616Djibouti39.22
12217LebanonFCS36.21
12918IraqFCS34.23
13019LibyaFCS33.89
14920Syrian Arab RepublicFCS27.35
15221Yemen, Rep.FCS25.83