New Zealand
East Asia & Pacific · High income· 5.22M inhabitants
Last updated: May 27, 2025
Futures readiness profile
Key insights: New Zealand
New Zealand demonstrates relatively outstanding readiness for the future of education, leading most global peers across all GEFRI dimensions. This country excels particularly in Governance (91, 98th percentile) and Human Capital (65, 91st percentile). This high across-the-board performance signals a robust foundation for adapting or leapfrogging ahead of the fast-changing demands of education, society, and the workforce. To maintain and extend this leadership, continued policy innovation, investment in emerging areas, and vigilance against complacency are crucial.
Composite GEFRI Score
74.81
92nd percentile
Higher scores indicate greater education futures readiness
Component scores
Innovation60.50
Above global avg. · 85th %-tile
Reflects a country’s capacity to foster, produce, and apply new knowledge and technology in society and education.
Infrastructure74.55
Above global avg. · 79th %-tile
Measures the availability and quality of basic digital and electrical infrastructure that supports education.
Human Capital65.10
Above global avg. · 91st %-tile
Assesses the educational attainment and capacity of a country’s population, focusing on access and completion at secondary and tertiary levels as well as literacy.
School Access and Gender Parity82.53
Above global avg. · 72nd %-tile
Governance91.37
Above global avg. · 98th %-tile
Captures the effectiveness and quality of policies, regulations, and governance that shape the educational environment.
Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific
| Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korea, Rep. | 80.37 |
| 2 | Singapore | 79.09 |
| 3 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 78.63 |
| 4 | Australia | 77.82 |
| 5 | Japan | 77.18 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 74.81 |
| 7 | Northern Mariana Islands | 69.10 |
| 8 | New Caledonia | 68.64 |
| 9 | Guam | 68.10 |
| 10 | American Samoa | 67.66 |
| 11 | French Polynesia | 66.66 |
| 12 | Malaysia | 62.68 |
| 13 | China | 62.57 |
| 14 | Thailand | 62.36 |
| 15 | Brunei Darussalam | 61.06 |
| 16 | Indonesia | 59.35 |
| 17 | Mongolia | 59.27 |
| 18 | Macao SAR, China | 57.83 |
| 19 | Palau | 57.52 |
| 20 | Tuvalu | 57.32 |
| 21 | Viet Nam | 56.38 |
| 22 | Philippines | 56.32 |
| 23 | Fiji | 55.95 |
| 24 | Nauru | 54.75 |
| 25 | Kiribati | 52.29 |
| 26 | Samoa | 51.01 |
| 27 | Tonga | 49.78 |
| 28 | Timor-Leste | 47.70 |
| 29 | Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | 46.71 |
| 30 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 45.32 |
| 31 | Marshall Islands | 44.66 |
| 32 | Vanuatu | 39.96 |
| 33 | Cambodia | 36.21 |
| 34 | Solomon Islands | 33.69 |
| 35 | Myanmar | 33.54 |
| 36 | Lao PDR | 31.98 |
| 37 | Papua New Guinea | 26.57 |