country profile

Tuvalu

East Asia & PacificUpper middle income9K population

Last updated July 1, 2026

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Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing institutional and social fragility.

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.

Microstate notice: This country is classified as a microstate (population under 300,000) and is indexed but not included in GEFRI global or regional rankings.
Emerging readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Human Capital is strongest, but Innovation and Access & Parity remain constraints

Tuvalu demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (44th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions.

49.03Composite score
Global percentile
44th
Global rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Regional rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Viewing data for
Emerging readiness
Infrastructure
47.16
28th percentileGlobal avg. 54.95
Progressing readiness
Human Capital
61.25
87th percentileGlobal avg. 47.14
Severely underprepared
Innovation
41.48
45th percentileGlobal avg. 45.34
Emerging readiness
Governance
55.26
69th percentileGlobal avg. 47.93
Severely underprepared
Access & Parity
40.00
43rd percentileGlobal avg. 49.93

Country profile

Tuvalu remains in the emerging-readiness range, with progress visible but major gaps still limiting future readiness. 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. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. Limited tertiary enrollment narrows future talent pipelines and innovation capacity.

R&D investment remains modest, affecting long-term innovation potential. 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.

GEFRI Composite and Infrastructure present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

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

Key insights

Scores range from Human Capital (61.3) to Access & Parity (40.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Korea, Rep.77.95
32Hong Kong SAR, China77.62
43Singapore77.59
124Japan76.08
145Australia75.89
206New Zealand73.01
NauruMicrostate60.91
487Fiji60.84
Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate60.77
508Thailand60.64
549Brunei Darussalam60.25
5510Indonesia59.51
GuamMicrostate59.03
American SamoaMicrostate58.57
6311Macao SAR, China58.24
6612Viet Nam57.81
New CaledoniaMicrostate57.39
7013Mongolia57.06
PalauMicrostate56.92
7314Malaysia56.68
French PolynesiaMicrostate56.07
7515China55.64
8516Philippines52.11
SamoaMicrostate51.42
TuvaluFCSMicrostate49.03
TongaMicrostate48.36
KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.12
Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate45.41
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate41.64
11117Timor-LesteFCS40.85
11318Vanuatu40.42
11819Korea, Dem. People's Rep.37.53
13020MyanmarFCS33.78
13121Cambodia33.74
13422Lao PDR32.35
14023Solomon IslandsFCS31.28
15324Papua New GuineaFCS25.62