country profile

Ecuador

Latin America & CaribbeanUpper middle income18.14M population

Last updated May 3, 2026

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Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

Ecuador demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (49th 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.

50.99Composite score
Global percentile
49th
Global rank
#91
Regional rank
#12
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
58.19
43rd percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
52.85
60th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
44.50
53rd percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
40.24
40th percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
59.14
52nd percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Ecuador 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.

Dimension scores cluster tightly, showing the system operates with balanced readiness.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

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

Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.

Key insights

  • Places 91st worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 12th within Latin America & Caribbean.
  • Scores range from Access & Parity (59.1) to Governance (40.2), 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