Country profile

New Caledonia

East Asia & PacificHigh income293K inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

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Microstate notice: This country is classified as a microstate (population under 300,000) and is indexed but not included in GEFRI global or regional rankings.

Composite GEFRI Score

Progressing readiness

New Caledonia shows progressing readiness (72nd percentile worldwide). Reforms are translating into broader capability, though uneven performance continues to slow system-wide alignment. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

61.09Composite score
Global percentile
72nd
Global rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Regional rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
68.35
66th percentileGlobal avg. 56.53
Human Capital
61.49
86th percentileGlobal avg. 47.25
Innovation
48.32
69th percentileGlobal avg. 43.36
Governance
78.94
90th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
48.31
47th percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

New Caledonia shows strong future-readiness momentum, with clear strengths in Governance (79, 90th percentile).

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation. Strong tertiary enrollment expands future talent pipelines and strengthens national innovation potential.

A large research workforce accelerates experimentation, technology adoption, and applied innovation. Policy and regulatory teams coordinate effectively, keeping reforms aligned and providing the stability needed for long-term educational planning. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

School Access and Gender Parity presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning.

Areas with room to grow: Infrastructure (68, 66th percentile), Innovation (48, 69th percentile), and School Access and Gender Parity (48, 47th percentile). These dimensions sit close to global norms and could accelerate quickly with targeted investment.

Note: Because many indicators are imputed, these findings should be treated as provisional until more reported data arrives.

Key insights

  • Sits above the global median at the 72nd percentile.
  • Scores range from Governance (78.9) to Access & Parity (48.3), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Korea, Rep.79.60
32Singapore78.63
53Hong Kong SAR, China77.86
114Japan76.54
145Australia76.14
196New Zealand73.28
——Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate61.56
487Brunei Darussalam61.48
498Thailand61.30
——New CaledoniaMicrostate61.09
529Indonesia60.44
——NauruMicrostate59.95
——GuamMicrostate59.92
——PalauMicrostate59.64
——American SamoaMicrostate59.42
——French PolynesiaMicrostate59.20
5910Macao SAR, China58.71
6311Viet Nam57.39
6912Fiji56.40
7013Mongolia56.30
7114Malaysia56.21
7315China55.14
8216Philippines52.74
——TuvaluFCSMicrostate51.67
——SamoaMicrostate50.98
——TongaMicrostate49.06
——KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.78
——Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate46.17
10717Timor-LesteFCS44.20
——Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate42.51
11218Vanuatu41.00
12219Korea, Dem. People's Rep.36.64
12620Cambodia35.43
12921MyanmarFCS33.80
13422Solomon IslandsFCS32.22
13823Lao PDR31.38
14524Papua New GuineaFCS28.17