country profile

Kenya

Sub-Saharan AfricaLower middle income57.53M population

Last updated July 15, 2026

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Severely underprepared

Composite GEFRI Score

Severe readiness constraints across dimensions

Kenya 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.

32.83Composite score
Global percentile
25th
Global rank
#133
Regional rank
#12
Viewing data for
Severely underprepared
Infrastructure
42.56
25th percentileGlobal avg. 55.13
Severely underprepared
Human Capital
36.59
25th percentileGlobal avg. 47.36
Severely underprepared
Innovation
44.74
51st percentileGlobal avg. 46.19
Severely underprepared
Governance
40.29
38th percentileGlobal avg. 47.46
Critically unprepared
Access & Parity
0.00
10th percentileGlobal avg. 48.49

Country profile

Kenya faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Infrastructure (43, 25th percentile), Human Capital (37, 25th percentile), GEFRI Composite (33, 25th percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (0, 10th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. 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.

Innovation and Governance 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.

Some indicators are imputed, so the profile should be read with moderate caution.

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 25th percentile.

Places 133rd worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 12th within Sub-Saharan Africa.

Scores range from Innovation (44.7) to Access & Parity (0.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
651South Africa57.44
742Mauritius55.85
SeychellesMicrostate55.06
803Botswana53.75
994Ghana48.08
1085Namibia44.23
1146Cabo Verde39.44
1207Eswatini36.39
1258Equatorial Guinea35.21
1269Senegal34.71
12710Gabon34.67
12811Rwanda34.54
13312Kenya32.83
13513Gambia, The32.46
13614Cote d'Ivoire32.04
13715Lesotho31.46
14016Tanzania29.45
14217Benin29.31
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate29.18
14318Togo28.93
14419Zimbabwe28.61
14520CameroonFCS28.42
14621Mauritania27.91
14822Zambia27.69
15023Angola27.20
15324Guinea25.53
15425MozambiqueFCS25.03
15526Madagascar24.90
15627Uganda24.77
15728Congo, Rep.FCS24.76
15829NigeriaFCS24.43
16030EthiopiaFCS24.27
16131Burkina FasoFCS24.20
16232ComorosFCS24.06
16333Sierra Leone23.91
16434MalawiFCS23.31
16535Liberia22.51
16636Guinea-BissauFCS22.30
16737MaliFCS21.77
16838Burundi20.39
16939SudanFCS19.96
17040NigerFCS19.49
17141EritreaFCS19.24
17242Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS19.13
17343ChadFCS17.06
17544SomaliaFCS16.33
17645South SudanFCS16.19
17746Central African RepublicFCS16.10