country profile

Madagascar

Sub-Saharan AfricaLow income32.74M population

Last updated August 4, 2026

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Critically unprepared

Composite GEFRI Score

Systemwide critical constraints

Madagascar shows critically low readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (9th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints.

29.63Composite score
Global percentile
9th
Global rank
#162
Regional rank
#34
Viewing data for
Severely underprepared
Infrastructure
33.16
7th percentileGlobal avg. 70.44
Severely underprepared
Human Capital
40.14
11th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18
Critically unprepared
Innovation
26.00
7th percentileGlobal avg. 48.64
Severely underprepared
Governance
30.88
24th percentileGlobal avg. 47.07
Critically unprepared
Access & Parity
17.99
21st percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Madagascar faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Human Capital (40, 11th percentile), Infrastructure (33, 7th percentile), Governance (31, 24th percentile), GEFRI Composite (30, 9th percentile), Innovation (26, 7th percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (18, 21st percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.

Dimension scores cluster tightly, showing the system operates with balanced readiness. 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. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Regionally, Infrastructure lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

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

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 9th percentile.

Places 162nd worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 34th within Sub-Saharan Africa.

Scores range from Human Capital (40.1) to Access & Parity (18.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Infrastructure.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
611Mauritius69.13
672South Africa68.78
SeychellesMicrostate64.14
863Botswana63.01
974Namibia59.03
1005Ghana58.00
1156Eswatini49.17
1167Cabo Verde49.06
1238Rwanda44.81
1279Gambia, The43.01
12810Kenya42.93
12911Senegal42.87
13012Gabon42.59
13213Equatorial Guinea41.26
13314Cote d'Ivoire41.19
13915Zambia38.11
14016Lesotho37.98
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate37.69
14117Togo37.61
14418Benin36.56
14519Zimbabwe36.55
14620Tanzania35.55
14721CameroonFCS35.16
14922Mauritania34.17
15023Sierra Leone33.62
15124ComorosFCS33.36
15225Burkina FasoFCS32.56
15326Congo, Rep.FCS32.39
15427Uganda32.27
15528Angola32.18
15729NigeriaFCS31.67
15830MozambiqueFCS30.55
15931MalawiFCS30.35
16032EthiopiaFCS30.26
16133MaliFCS29.69
16234Madagascar29.63
16435Guinea28.36
16536Guinea-BissauFCS28.36
16837Liberia24.94
16938NigerFCS24.54
17039Burundi24.53
17140Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS24.39
17241SudanFCS23.03
17342EritreaFCS21.02
17443ChadFCS20.62
17544Central African RepublicFCS20.44
17645SomaliaFCS20.32
17746South SudanFCS18.91