country profile

Colombia

Latin America & CaribbeanUpper middle income52.89M population

Last updated May 3, 2026

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Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

Colombia demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (58th 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.

55.43Composite score
Global percentile
58th
Global rank
#75
Regional rank
#5
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
63.36
56th percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
55.94
67th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
39.88
43rd percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
50.38
59th percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
67.60
57th percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Colombia 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.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Governance effectiveness is below global norms, affecting the stability of 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, Colombia leads most clearly in School Access and Gender Parity, sitting well above the peer average.

Key insights

  • Places 75th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 5th within Latin America & Caribbean.
  • Scores range from Access & Parity (67.6) to Innovation (39.9), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Latin America & Caribbean

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
351Chile69.40
412Argentina63.42
453Uruguay62.34
St. Vincent and the GrenadinesMicrostate58.71
Cayman IslandsMicrostate58.08
664Peru57.61
Antigua and BarbudaMicrostate57.06
St. Kitts and NevisMicrostate56.86
GrenadaMicrostate56.17
755Colombia55.43
766Mexico55.42
Turks and Caicos IslandsMicrostate54.88
787Trinidad and Tobago54.51
828Puerto Rico (US)53.59
839Brazil53.37
8410Cuba53.27
DominicaMicrostate52.45
BarbadosMicrostate51.98
8911Dominican Republic51.35
9112Ecuador50.99
St. LuciaMicrostate50.61
9413Bolivia50.49
9814Costa Rica49.21
9915Bahamas, The48.87
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)Microstate48.52
10116Jamaica47.99
St. Martin (French part)Microstate47.56
10417Belize47.13
10618Panama46.66
ArubaMicrostate46.65
Virgin Islands (U.S.)Microstate46.42
British Virgin IslandsMicrostate45.52
10719Paraguay45.05
CuracaoMicrostate43.74
11220Venezuela, RBFCS41.20
11921El Salvador37.36
12022Suriname36.99
12123Guyana36.92
13124Honduras33.35
13925Guatemala31.22
14326Nicaragua29.47
16527HaitiFCS22.71