Papua New Guinea
Last updated February 1, 2026
Composite GEFRI Score
Critically unprepared
Papua New Guinea is critically unprepared for education futures (14th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.
- Global percentile
- 14th
- Global rank
- #153
- Regional rank
- #24
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Papua New Guinea trails global peers in Human Capital (34, 23rd percentile), Innovation (25, 14th percentile), and Infrastructure (19, 5th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.
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 leans toward boys in secondary pathways, signalling persistent barriers for girls.
Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.
Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.
Key insights
- Falls below many peers at the 14th percentile.
- Places 153rd worldwide.
- Holds a regional position of 24th within East Asia & Pacific.
- Scores range from Governance (39.4) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
- Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.
Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific
Composite GEFRI score
| Global rank | Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Korea, Rep. | 79.67 |
| 3 | 2 | Singapore | 78.66 |
| 5 | 3 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 77.89 |
| 11 | 4 | Japan | 76.54 |
| 14 | 5 | Australia | 76.14 |
| 20 | 6 | New Zealand | 73.28 |
| 49 | 7 | Brunei Darussalam | 61.59 |
| — | — | Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate | 61.59 |
| 50 | 8 | Thailand | 61.30 |
| 53 | 9 | Indonesia | 60.44 |
| — | — | NauruMicrostate | 59.98 |
| — | — | PalauMicrostate | 59.64 |
| — | — | American SamoaMicrostate | 59.46 |
| — | — | GuamMicrostate | 59.25 |
| — | — | New CaledoniaMicrostate | 59.13 |
| 59 | 10 | Macao SAR, China | 58.49 |
| — | — | French PolynesiaMicrostate | 58.10 |
| 66 | 11 | Viet Nam | 57.38 |
| 71 | 12 | Fiji | 56.49 |
| 72 | 13 | Mongolia | 56.33 |
| 73 | 14 | Malaysia | 56.23 |
| 75 | 15 | China | 55.15 |
| — | — | SamoaMicrostate | 53.13 |
| 84 | 16 | Philippines | 52.72 |
| — | — | TuvaluFCSMicrostate | 51.68 |
| — | — | TongaMicrostate | 47.16 |
| — | — | KiribatiFCSMicrostate | 46.45 |
| — | — | Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate | 46.17 |
| — | — | Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate | 42.15 |
| 110 | 17 | Timor-LesteFCS | 41.12 |
| 112 | 18 | Vanuatu | 40.64 |
| 124 | 19 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 36.42 |
| 129 | 20 | MyanmarFCS | 33.89 |
| 131 | 21 | Cambodia | 33.02 |
| 134 | 22 | Solomon IslandsFCS | 31.89 |
| 137 | 23 | Lao PDR | 30.98 |
| 153 | 24 | Papua New GuineaFCS | 25.55 |