Nicaragua
Last updated July 15, 2026
Composite GEFRI Score
Severe readiness constraints across dimensions
Nicaragua shows critically low readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (21st percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints.
- Global percentile
- 21st
- Global rank
- #141
- Regional rank
- #26
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Country profile
Nicaragua faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Innovation (35, 24th percentile), GEFRI Composite (29, 21st percentile), Governance (21, 10th percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (0, 10th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. 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.
Infrastructure and Human Capital present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning.
Some indicators are imputed, so the profile should be read with moderate caution.
Key insights
Falls below many peers at the 21st percentile.
Places 141st worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 26th within Latin America & Caribbean.
Scores range from Infrastructure (49.0) to Access & Parity (0.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.
Regional peers: Latin America & Caribbean
Composite GEFRI Score