Country profile

New Caledonia

East Asia & PacificHigh income293K inhabitants

Last updated February 1, 2026

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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

Emerging readiness

New Caledonia 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.

59.13Composite score
Global percentile
68th
Global rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Regional rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
65.21
56th percentileGlobal avg. 56.42
Human Capital
61.54
86th percentileGlobal avg. 46.98
Innovation
41.62
52nd percentileGlobal avg. 42.60
Governance
78.94
90th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
48.31
45th percentileGlobal avg. 50.60

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. 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 (65, 56th percentile), School Access and Gender Parity (48, 45th percentile), and Innovation (42, 52nd 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 68th percentile.
  • Scores range from Governance (78.9) to Innovation (41.6), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Korea, Rep.79.67
32Singapore78.66
53Hong Kong SAR, China77.89
114Japan76.54
145Australia76.14
206New Zealand73.28
497Brunei Darussalam61.59
——Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate61.59
508Thailand61.30
539Indonesia60.44
——NauruMicrostate59.98
——PalauMicrostate59.64
——American SamoaMicrostate59.46
——GuamMicrostate59.25
——New CaledoniaMicrostate59.13
5910Macao SAR, China58.49
——French PolynesiaMicrostate58.10
6611Viet Nam57.38
7112Fiji56.49
7213Mongolia56.33
7314Malaysia56.23
7515China55.15
——SamoaMicrostate53.13
8416Philippines52.72
——TuvaluFCSMicrostate51.68
——TongaMicrostate47.16
——KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.45
——Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate46.17
——Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate42.15
11017Timor-LesteFCS41.12
11218Vanuatu40.64
12419Korea, Dem. People's Rep.36.42
12920MyanmarFCS33.89
13121Cambodia33.02
13422Solomon IslandsFCS31.89
13723Lao PDR30.98
15324Papua New GuineaFCS25.55