country profile

Syrian Arab Republic

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & PakistanLow income25.62M population

Last updated August 26, 2026

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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.

Severely underprepared

Composite GEFRI Score

Severe readiness constraints across dimensions

Syrian Arab Republic shows severely limited readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (17th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms.

34.76Composite score
Global percentile
17th
Global rank
#148
Regional rank
#20
Viewing data for
Emerging readiness
Infrastructure
47.17
19th percentileGlobal avg. 70.44
Emerging readiness
Human Capital
59.46
36th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18
Severely underprepared
Innovation
41.65
42nd percentileGlobal avg. 48.64
Critically unprepared
Governance
8.81
2nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.07
Critically unprepared
Access & Parity
16.73
16th percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Syrian Arab Republic faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Infrastructure (47, 19th percentile), GEFRI Composite (35, 17th percentile), School Access and Gender Parity (17, 16th percentile) and Governance (9, 2nd percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization.

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 across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

Innovation presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning.

Some indicators are imputed, so the profile should be read with moderate caution.

Key insights

Falls below many peers at the 17th percentile.

Places 148th worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 20th within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan.

Scores range from Human Capital (59.5) to Governance (8.8), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
191Israel84.75
322United Arab Emirates80.68
393Saudi Arabia76.67
424Malta75.34
465Qatar72.99
536Bahrain71.18
627Oman69.09
728Kuwait68.04
769Morocco66.91
7710Jordan66.65
8211Tunisia64.69
9012Egypt, Arab Rep.60.85
10613Iran, Islamic Rep.FCS56.11
10814Algeria54.87
11015West Bank and GazaFCS53.03
11916Djibouti46.86
12217IraqFCS44.97
12618LebanonFCS43.40
13119LibyaFCS42.27
14820Syrian Arab RepublicFCS34.76
16321Yemen, Rep.FCS28.79