country profile

Vanuatu

East Asia & PacificLower middle income335K population

Last updated August 4, 2026

FacebookTwitter/XLinkedInReddit
Emerging readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

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

Vanuatu demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (39th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions.

54.76Composite score
Global percentile
39th
Global rank
#109
Regional rank
#17
Viewing data for
Emerging readiness
Infrastructure
57.95
26th percentileGlobal avg. 70.44
Advanced readiness
Human Capital
81.88
76th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18
Severely underprepared
Innovation
43.05
44th percentileGlobal avg. 48.64
Emerging readiness
Governance
45.53
52nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.07
Emerging readiness
Access & Parity
45.40
38th percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Vanuatu remains in the emerging-readiness range, with progress visible but major gaps still limiting future readiness. Its weakest results are in Infrastructure (58, 26th percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. High literacy and tertiary enrollment feed a deep talent pipeline, supporting future skills development and innovation.

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.

GEFRI Composite and Governance present 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 39th percentile.

Places 109th worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 17th within East Asia & Pacific.

Scores range from Human Capital (81.9) to Innovation (43.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
71Singapore87.75
82Korea, Rep.87.61
93Australia87.58
124Japan86.42
145New Zealand86.25
166Hong Kong SAR, China85.13
PalauMicrostate73.62
NauruMicrostate72.35
517Thailand71.65
528Brunei Darussalam71.24
GuamMicrostate70.43
569China70.26
New CaledoniaMicrostate69.53
American SamoaMicrostate69.29
5910Malaysia69.27
Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate69.27
6511Macao SAR, China68.91
6612Fiji68.84
7013Mongolia68.44
French PolynesiaMicrostate67.53
7414Indonesia67.24
7515Viet Nam67.00
TongaMicrostate62.06
SamoaMicrostate61.69
9116Philippines60.80
TuvaluFCSMicrostate59.38
Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate56.13
10917Vanuatu54.76
KiribatiFCSMicrostate49.99
11818Timor-LesteFCS47.72
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate47.06
12419Cambodia44.53
12520Korea, Dem. People's Rep.44.29
13521Solomon IslandsFCS40.40
14222MyanmarFCS37.14
14323Lao PDR36.90
15624Papua New GuineaFCS31.85