Sao Tome and Principe
Last updated May 3, 2026
Composite GEFRI Score
Severely underprepared
Sao Tome and Principe shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (24th 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.
- Global percentile
- 24th
- Global rank
- Not ranked (microstate)
- Regional rank
- Not ranked (microstate)
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Sao Tome and Principe trails global peers in Infrastructure (43, 28th percentile), GEFRI Composite (32, 24th percentile), Innovation (22, 4th percentile), and School Access and Gender Parity (5, 12th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. 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.
Governance and Human Capital present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning.
Note: Several indicators use imputed values. Policymakers and planners should validate results further before committing to major initiatives.
Key insights
- Falls below many peers at the 24th percentile.
- Scores range from Governance (44.6) to Access & Parity (5.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
- Leads regional peers most clearly in Human Capital.
Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa
Composite GEFRI Score