country profile

Sri Lanka

South AsiaLower middle income21.76M population

Last updated August 26, 2026

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Emerging readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Access & Parity is strongest, but Governance and Innovation remain constraints

Sri Lanka demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (47th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions.

59.83Composite score
Global percentile
47th
Global rank
#94
Regional rank
#2
Viewing data for
Progressing readiness
Infrastructure
72.15
42nd percentileGlobal avg. 70.44
Emerging readiness
Human Capital
58.77
34th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18
Severely underprepared
Innovation
42.84
43rd percentileGlobal avg. 48.64
Severely underprepared
Governance
43.76
49th percentileGlobal avg. 47.07
Advanced readiness
Access & Parity
81.64
60th percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Sri Lanka remains in the emerging-readiness range, with progress visible but major gaps still limiting future readiness. 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. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. 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. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

Human Capital, 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, Sri Lanka leads most clearly in School Access and Gender Parity, sitting well above the peer average.

Most indicators are observed rather than imputed, so estimation uncertainty is limited.

Key insights

Places 94th worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 2nd within South Asia.

Scores range from Access & Parity (81.6) to Innovation (42.8), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: South Asia

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
851India63.15
942Sri Lanka59.83
983Nepal58.95
1124MaldivesFCS52.48
1135Bhutan51.50
1206Bangladesh45.70
1387Pakistan38.32
1678AfghanistanFCS26.36