country profile

Serbia

Europe & Central AsiaUpper middle income6.55M population

Last updated July 15, 2026

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Progressing readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Access & Parity is a strength, but Governance lags

Serbia shows progressing readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (76th percentile worldwide). Reforms are translating into broader capability, though uneven performance continues to slow system-wide alignment.

61.97Composite score
Global percentile
76th
Global rank
#44
Regional rank
#30
Viewing data for
Progressing readiness
Infrastructure
67.57
69th percentileGlobal avg. 55.13
Emerging readiness
Human Capital
54.25
63rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.36
Emerging readiness
Innovation
56.38
77th percentileGlobal avg. 46.19
Emerging readiness
Governance
45.34
50th percentileGlobal avg. 47.46
Advanced readiness
Access & Parity
86.30
80th percentileGlobal avg. 48.49

Country profile

Serbia shows progressing readiness, with important strengths but continued gaps across the system. Most dimension scores sit close to global norms, without a single dimension standing far above the rest.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. High internet adoption enables broad participation in digital learning and innovation. Strong tertiary enrollment expands future talent pipelines and strengthens national innovation potential.

Strong R&D funding and a sizable research workforce keep the innovation pipeline active, supporting the system’s capacity to adapt. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

Governance presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Governance lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Key insights

Sits above the global median at the 76th percentile.

Places 44th worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 30th within Europe & Central Asia.

Scores range from Access & Parity (86.3) to Governance (45.3), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Governance.

Regional peers: Europe & Central Asia

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
11Denmark81.59
52Sweden77.08
63Switzerland77.02
74Finland76.93
85Germany76.56
96Netherlands76.56
107United Kingdom76.38
118Norway76.20
139Austria75.95
1510France75.22
1811Estonia73.17
1912Portugal73.10
2213Czechia72.05
2314Ireland71.89
2415Lithuania71.85
2516Iceland71.73
2617Belgium71.58
2718Poland71.56
2819Slovenia71.48
2920Spain71.36
3021Luxembourg70.52
3122Italy69.92
3223Cyprus69.86
3524Greece69.56
3625Latvia68.02
LiechtensteinMicrostate67.57
3726Hungary66.10
3827Croatia64.91
GibraltarMicrostate64.27
San MarinoMicrostate64.21
4228Moldova63.44
4329Bulgaria62.53
MonacoMicrostate62.37
4430Serbia61.97
4731Turkiye61.45
AndorraMicrostate61.32
4832Slovak Republic61.14
5133Armenia60.55
5234Montenegro60.47
5435Russian Federation60.20
GreenlandMicrostate59.84
Channel IslandsMicrostate59.44
5536Albania59.03
5637Kazakhstan59.00
Isle of ManMicrostate58.99
Faroe IslandsMicrostate58.58
5838North Macedonia58.56
5939Uzbekistan58.51
6040Belarus58.48
6341Georgia57.75
6742Bosnia and Herzegovina56.89
7043Kyrgyz Republic56.84
7744Romania54.80
8645Kosovo51.87
9146Turkmenistan50.84
9247UkraineFCS50.60
9548Azerbaijan49.48
10949Tajikistan43.25