Country profile

Kenya

Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income56.43M inhabitants

Last updated March 1, 2026

Composite GEFRI Score

Severely underprepared

Kenya is severely underprepared (28th 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.

33.03Composite score

Global percentile: 28th
Global rank: #128
Regional rank: #11
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

44.15

27th percentileGlobal avg. 56.44

Human Capital

36.18

25th percentileGlobal avg. 47.03

Innovation

39.11

45th percentileGlobal avg. 42.60

Governance

41.88

41st percentileGlobal avg. 47.71

Access & Parity

3.86

8th percentileGlobal avg. 49.62

Country profile

Kenya trails global peers in Infrastructure (44, 27th percentile), Human Capital (36, 25th percentile), and School Access and Gender Parity (4, 8th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

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. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

Governance and Innovation present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Note: Several indicators use imputed values. Policymakers and planners should validate results further before committing to major initiatives.

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 28th percentile.
Places 128th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 11th within Sub-Saharan Africa .
Scores range from Infrastructure (44.1) to Access & Parity (3.9), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
68	1	South Africa	57.14
69	2	Mauritius	56.87
—	—	SeychellesMicrostate	55.72
75	3	Botswana	55.44
107	4	Namibia	43.86
110	5	Ghana	40.92
112	6	Cabo Verde	39.81
116	7	Eswatini	37.54
124	8	Senegal	35.31
125	9	Gabon	34.39
127	10	Rwanda	33.46
128	11	Kenya	33.03
—	—	Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate	32.63
135	12	Cote d'Ivoire	31.71
136	13	Gambia, The	31.33
139	14	Lesotho	29.76
140	15	Equatorial Guinea	29.48
141	16	Benin	29.14
142	17	Zambia	28.93
143	18	ZimbabweFCS	28.92
145	19	Tanzania	28.51
146	20	Togo	28.14
147	21	CameroonFCS	27.69
149	22	Mauritania	25.98
150	23	Angola	25.95
151	24	ComorosFCS	25.84
153	25	Sierra Leone	25.44
154	26	EthiopiaFCS	24.75
155	27	Congo, Rep.FCS	24.74
156	28	MozambiqueFCS	24.40
157	29	NigeriaFCS	24.09
158	30	Madagascar	23.66
159	31	MaliFCS	23.09
160	32	Malawi	23.03
161	33	Burkina FasoFCS	22.80
162	34	Uganda	22.59
164	35	Guinea	22.13
166	36	Liberia	21.08
167	37	NigerFCS	20.37
168	38	SudanFCS	19.85
169	39	BurundiFCS	18.87
170	40	Guinea-BissauFCS	18.68
171	41	EritreaFCS	18.19
172	42	Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS	17.22
174	43	ChadFCS	15.73
175	44	Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS	14.74
176	45	South SudanFCS	14.63
177	46	Central African RepublicFCS	13.32