country profile

New Caledonia

East Asia & PacificHigh income293K population

Last updated May 3, 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 to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (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.

59.24Composite score
Global percentile
68th
Global rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Regional rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
63.85
57th percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
61.59
88th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
41.91
46th percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
81.55
92nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
47.29
46th percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

New Caledonia shows strong future-readiness momentum, with clear strengths in Governance (82, 92nd 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 (64, 57th percentile), GEFRI Composite (59, 68th percentile), School Access and Gender Parity (47, 46th percentile), and Innovation (42, 46th 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 (81.5) to Innovation (41.9), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Hong Kong SAR, China78.84
32Korea, Rep.78.17
43Singapore77.81
124Australia75.95
135Japan75.88
196New Zealand73.08
NauruMicrostate61.59
Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate61.43
487Brunei Darussalam61.13
American SamoaMicrostate61.09
498Macao SAR, China61.06
GuamMicrostate60.74
509Thailand60.74
5310Indonesia60.55
5511Fiji60.34
New CaledoniaMicrostate59.24
French PolynesiaMicrostate58.11
PalauMicrostate57.53
6712Viet Nam57.46
6913Mongolia57.00
7314Malaysia56.66
7715China55.08
8516Philippines52.64
SamoaMicrostate51.59
TuvaluFCSMicrostate49.72
TongaMicrostate48.28
KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.97
Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate46.38
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate42.67
11017Timor-LesteFCS41.47
11118Vanuatu41.25
12219Korea, Dem. People's Rep.36.56
12720Cambodia33.92
12821MyanmarFCS33.78
13622Lao PDR31.66
13823Solomon IslandsFCS31.58
15124Papua New GuineaFCS26.21