China

China shows progressing readiness, with important strengths but continued gaps across the system. Its strongest results are in Innovation (76, 90th percentile).

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation. Strong tertiary enrollment expands future talent pipelines and strengthens national innovation potential.

Robust R&D investment supports a dynamic ecosystem for innovation and knowledge production. Regulatory quality falls short of global standards, signalling structural hurdles in policy execution. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Governance presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning.

Areas with room to grow: Infrastructure (84, 62nd percentile), Human Capital (75, 58th percentile), School Access and Gender Parity (71, 47th percentile), GEFRI Composite (70, 69th percentile) and Governance (45, 50th percentile). These dimensions sit close to global norms and could accelerate quickly with targeted investment.