country profile

Gambia, The

Sub-Saharan AfricaLow income2.76M population

Last updated May 3, 2026

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Composite GEFRI Score

Severely underprepared

Gambia, The shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (25th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

32.24Composite score
Global percentile
25th
Global rank
#134
Regional rank
#13
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
40.56
24th percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
32.09
20th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
22.46
6th percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
42.37
43rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
23.73
35th percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Gambia, The trails global peers in Infrastructure (41, 24th percentile), GEFRI Composite (32, 25th percentile), Human Capital (32, 20th percentile), and Innovation (22, 6th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

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. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. 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. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. 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. Regionally, Innovation lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 25th percentile.
  • Places 134th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 13th within Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Scores range from Governance (42.4) to Innovation (22.5), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Trails regional peers most clearly in Innovation.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
681South Africa57.33
742Mauritius56.48
SeychellesMicrostate55.12
803Botswana54.11
1024Ghana47.72
1085Namibia44.24
1136Cabo Verde40.09
1177Eswatini38.07
1248Senegal35.40
1259Equatorial Guinea35.01
12610Gabon34.48
12911Rwanda33.75
13312Kenya33.02
13413Gambia, The32.24
13514Cote d'Ivoire32.18
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate31.75
14015Lesotho31.04
14116Benin29.70
14217ZimbabweFCS29.57
14418Togo29.28
14519Tanzania29.23
14620CameroonFCS28.46
14721Zambia27.96
14822Mauritania27.82
15023Angola26.39
15224ComorosFCS25.64
15325Congo, Rep.FCS25.59
15526MozambiqueFCS25.26
15627EthiopiaFCS25.24
15728Uganda24.82
15829NigeriaFCS24.64
15930Sierra Leone24.58
16031Madagascar24.32
16132Burkina FasoFCS23.86
16233MaliFCS23.71
16334Malawi23.40
16435Guinea22.78
16636Liberia22.50
16737NigerFCS20.78
16838SudanFCS20.28
16939Guinea-BissauFCS19.28
17645Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS19.26
17141BurundiFCS18.78
17242EritreaFCS18.78
17443Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS17.87
17544ChadFCS16.32
17645SomaliaFCS15.80
17746South SudanFCS15.44
17847Central African RepublicFCS14.57