country profile

Senegal

Sub-Saharan AfricaLower middle income18.50M population

Last updated May 3, 2026

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Composite GEFRI Score

Severely underprepared

Senegal shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (31st percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

35.40Composite score
Global percentile
31st
Global rank
#124
Regional rank
#8
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
45.04
29th percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
27.08
12th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
44.44
53rd percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
50.43
60th percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
10.00
32nd percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Senegal trails global peers in Infrastructure (45, 29th percentile) and Human Capital (27, 12th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

All or most indicators are based on observed data, giving planners a dependable evidence base for decisions. Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Electricity access remains uneven, limiting the baseline for digital expansion. 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. Regulatory quality falls short of global standards, signalling structural hurdles in policy execution. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Innovation presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Senegal leads most clearly in Governance, sitting well above the peer average.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 31st percentile.
  • Places 124th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 8th within Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Scores range from Governance (50.4) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
681South Africa57.33
742Mauritius56.48
SeychellesMicrostate55.12
803Botswana54.11
1024Ghana47.72
1085Namibia44.24
1136Cabo Verde40.09
1177Eswatini38.07
1248Senegal35.40
1259Equatorial Guinea35.01
12610Gabon34.48
12911Rwanda33.75
13312Kenya33.02
13413Gambia, The32.24
13514Cote d'Ivoire32.18
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate31.75
14015Lesotho31.04
14116Benin29.70
14217ZimbabweFCS29.57
14418Togo29.28
14519Tanzania29.23
14620CameroonFCS28.46
14721Zambia27.96
14822Mauritania27.82
15023Angola26.39
15224ComorosFCS25.64
15325Congo, Rep.FCS25.59
15526MozambiqueFCS25.26
15627EthiopiaFCS25.24
15728Uganda24.82
15829NigeriaFCS24.64
15930Sierra Leone24.58
16031Madagascar24.32
16132Burkina FasoFCS23.86
16233MaliFCS23.71
16334Malawi23.40
16435Guinea22.78
16636Liberia22.50
16737NigerFCS20.78
16838SudanFCS20.28
16939Guinea-BissauFCS19.28
17645Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS19.26
17141BurundiFCS18.78
17242EritreaFCS18.78
17443Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS17.87
17544ChadFCS16.32
17645SomaliaFCS15.80
17746South SudanFCS15.44
17847Central African RepublicFCS14.57