Kiribati

Kiribati remains in the emerging-readiness range, with progress visible but major gaps still limiting future readiness. Its strongest results are in Human Capital (64, 91st percentile).

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation. Limited tertiary enrollment narrows future talent pipelines and innovation capacity.

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.

Infrastructure and GEFRI Composite present 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.

Challenges: Innovation (21, 3rd percentile). Closing these gaps will be key to sustaining progress.

Areas with room to grow: Infrastructure (54, 36th percentile), Governance (53, 66th percentile), GEFRI Composite (46, 42nd percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (40, 44th percentile). These dimensions sit close to global norms and could accelerate quickly with targeted investment.