Papua New Guinea
Last updated July 15, 2026
Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing conflict.
In fragile and conflict-affected settings, severe data gaps, rapid disruption, and uneven reporting can distort index values. These scores should be read as a limited signal, not a complete picture of conditions in the country.
Composite GEFRI Score
Systemwide critical constraints
Papua New Guinea shows critically low readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (18th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints.
- Global percentile
- 18th
- Global rank
- #147
- Regional rank
- #23
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Papua New Guinea faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Human Capital (34, 22nd percentile), GEFRI Composite (28, 18th percentile), Infrastructure (23, 7th percentile) and School Access and Gender Parity (5, 19th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. 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. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.
Some indicators are imputed, so the profile should be read with moderate caution.
Key insights
Falls below many peers at the 18th percentile.
Places 147th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 23rd within East Asia & Pacific.
Scores range from Innovation (40.3) to Access & Parity (5.0), 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. | 77.90 |
| 3 | 2 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 77.59 |
| 4 | 3 | Singapore | 77.58 |
| 12 | 4 | Japan | 76.03 |
| 14 | 5 | Australia | 75.84 |
| 20 | 6 | New Zealand | 72.96 |
| 46 | 7 | Brunei Darussalam | 61.47 |
| — | — | NauruMicrostate | 60.97 |
| — | — | Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate | 60.89 |
| 49 | 8 | Fiji | 60.57 |
| 50 | 9 | Thailand | 60.56 |
| — | — | GuamMicrostate | 59.78 |
| — | — | New CaledoniaMicrostate | 59.45 |
| — | — | PalauMicrostate | 59.12 |
| — | — | American SamoaMicrostate | 58.64 |
| 61 | 10 | Macao SAR, China | 58.41 |
| — | — | French PolynesiaMicrostate | 57.22 |
| 68 | 11 | Indonesia | 56.89 |
| 69 | 12 | Mongolia | 56.89 |
| 71 | 13 | Malaysia | 56.62 |
| 73 | 14 | Viet Nam | 55.90 |
| 75 | 15 | China | 55.59 |
| 87 | 16 | Philippines | 51.84 |
| — | — | SamoaMicrostate | 51.51 |
| — | — | TuvaluFCSMicrostate | 51.41 |
| — | — | TongaMicrostate | 48.23 |
| — | — | KiribatiFCSMicrostate | 46.37 |
| — | — | Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate | 45.13 |
| — | — | Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate | 41.97 |
| 112 | 17 | Vanuatu | 40.83 |
| 113 | 18 | Timor-LesteFCS | 40.80 |
| 115 | 19 | Korea, Dem. People's Rep. | 39.28 |
| 123 | 20 | Cambodia | 35.88 |
| 131 | 21 | Solomon IslandsFCS | 33.48 |
| 134 | 22 | Lao PDR | 32.64 |
| 147 | 23 | Papua New GuineaFCS | 27.72 |
| 151 | 24 | MyanmarFCS | 26.22 |