Country profile

Kuwait

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & PakistanHigh income4.90M inhabitants

Last updated April 1, 2026

Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

Kuwait demonstrates early-stage readiness (68th 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.

59.77Composite score

Global percentile: 68th
Global rank: #57
Regional rank: #5
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

79.32

99th percentileGlobal avg. 59.93

Human Capital

56.86

71st percentileGlobal avg. 47.03

Innovation

36.18

41st percentileGlobal avg. 42.53

Governance

49.92

57th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71

Access & Parity

76.56

72nd percentileGlobal avg. 43.89

Country profile

Kuwait shows strong future-readiness momentum, with clear strengths in Infrastructure (79, 99th percentile).

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

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

Areas with room to grow: Governance (50, 57th percentile) and Innovation (36, 41st percentile). These dimensions sit close to global norms and could accelerate quickly with targeted investment.

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

Key insights

Sits above the global median at the 68th percentile.
Places 57th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 5th within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.
Scores range from Infrastructure (79.3) to Innovation (36.2), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Composite GEFRI score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
13	1	Israel	73.92
26	2	United Arab Emirates	70.36
39	3	Saudi Arabia	65.52
40	4	Malta	64.28
57	5	Kuwait	59.77
59	6	Qatar	58.36
60	7	Jordan	58.06
64	8	Bahrain	57.37
76	9	Oman	54.61
78	10	Morocco	53.83
92	11	Iran, Islamic Rep.	50.45
95	12	Egypt, Arab Rep.	49.67
97	13	Tunisia	49.07
99	14	West Bank and GazaFCS	47.12
114	15	Algeria	38.86
122	16	Djibouti	36.23
124	17	LebanonFCS	35.78
128	18	IraqFCS	34.68
129	19	LibyaFCS	34.45
141	20	Pakistan	29.51
149	21	Syrian Arab RepublicFCS	27.28
158	22	Yemen, Rep.FCS	23.14
170	23	AfghanistanFCS	18.18