Bhutan
Last updated July 15, 2026
Composite GEFRI Score
Limited relative strength in Infrastructure, with deep gaps in Access & Parity
Bhutan shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (34th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms.
- Global percentile
- 34th
- Global rank
- #118
- Regional rank
- #6
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Bhutan faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Human Capital (38, 26th percentile), Innovation (21, 3rd percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (5, 19th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.
Wide gaps between dimensions reveal structural weaknesses that slow coordinated progress. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation. 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. Regulatory quality falls short of global standards, signalling structural hurdles in policy execution. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.
Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.
Most indicators are observed rather than imputed, so estimation uncertainty is limited.
Key insights
Falls below many peers at the 34th percentile.
Places 118th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 6th within South Asia.
Scores range from Infrastructure (63.6) to Access & Parity (5.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.
Regional peers: South Asia
Composite GEFRI Score
| Global rank | Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 1 | Nepal | 51.91 |
| 88 | 2 | India | 51.37 |
| 98 | 3 | Sri Lanka | 48.87 |
| 110 | 4 | MaldivesFCS | 43.04 |
| 117 | 5 | Bangladesh | 38.17 |
| 118 | 6 | Bhutan | 38.12 |
| 138 | 7 | Pakistan | 31.34 |
| 174 | 8 | AfghanistanFCS | 16.98 |