country profile

Kuwait

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & PakistanHigh income4.87M population

Last updated October 1, 2026

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Progressing readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Infrastructure is strongest, but Governance and Innovation remain constraints

Kuwait shows progressing readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (59th percentile worldwide). Reforms are translating into broader capability, though uneven performance continues to slow system-wide alignment.

67.81Composite score
Global percentile
59th
Global rank
#73
Regional rank
#8
Viewing data for
Advanced readiness
Infrastructure
86.25
72nd percentileGlobal avg. 70.44
Advanced readiness
Human Capital
78.41
66th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18
Emerging readiness
Innovation
48.21
52nd percentileGlobal avg. 48.64
Emerging readiness
Governance
49.92
58th percentileGlobal avg. 47.24
Advanced readiness
Access & Parity
76.28
51st percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Kuwait shows progressing readiness, with important strengths but continued gaps across the system. Most dimension scores sit close to global norms, without a single dimension standing far above the rest.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. 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. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

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.

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

Key insights

Places 73rd worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 8th within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.

Scores range from Infrastructure (86.3) to Innovation (48.2), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

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

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
161Israel85.05
332United Arab Emirates80.38
403Saudi Arabia76.50
424Malta75.40
485Qatar72.68
536Bahrain70.97
667Oman68.69
738Kuwait67.81
769Morocco67.05
7710Jordan66.66
8211Tunisia64.61
9112Egypt, Arab Rep.61.08
10613Iran, Islamic Rep.FCS55.94
10814Algeria55.00
11015West Bank and GazaFCS53.11
11916Djibouti46.75
12217IraqFCS45.35
12618LebanonFCS43.93
13119LibyaFCS42.25
14620Syrian Arab RepublicFCS35.53
16321Yemen, Rep.FCS28.91