Country profile

South Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa Upper middle income64.01M inhabitants

Last updated April 1, 2026

Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

South Africa demonstrates early-stage readiness (60th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

55.84Composite score

Global percentile: 60th
Global rank: #71
Regional rank: #2
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

67.32

45th percentileGlobal avg. 59.93

Human Capital

50.76

53rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.03

Innovation

43.79

58th percentileGlobal avg. 42.53

Governance

51.23

62nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.71

Access & Parity

66.10

66th percentileGlobal avg. 43.89

Country profile

South Africa performs close to the global average across all GEFRI dimensions. Progress is evident, yet stronger ambition is needed to reach futures readiness among global peers.

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Limited tertiary enrollment narrows future talent pipelines and innovation capacity.

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.

Regionally, South Africa leads most clearly in School Access and Gender Parity, sitting well above the peer average.

Note: Several indicators use imputed values. Policymakers and planners should validate results further before committing to major initiatives.

Key insights

Sits above the global median at the 60th percentile.
Places 71st worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 2nd within Sub-Saharan Africa .
Scores range from Infrastructure (67.3) to Innovation (43.8), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI score

Global rank	Regional rank	Country	Score
66	1	Mauritius	56.93
71	2	South Africa	55.84
72	3	Botswana	55.47
—	—	SeychellesMicrostate	54.64
107	4	Ghana	41.58
110	5	Namibia	41.32
112	6	Cabo Verde	39.69
116	7	Sierra Leone	38.20
119	8	Eswatini	37.81
126	9	Senegal	35.30
127	10	Gabon	34.90
—	—	Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate	32.59
132	11	Kenya	32.54
134	12	Rwanda	32.06
135	13	Cote d'Ivoire	31.86
137	14	Gambia, The	31.20
140	15	Equatorial Guinea	30.11
142	16	Lesotho	29.23
143	17	Zambia	29.16
144	18	Benin	28.96
145	19	ZimbabweFCS	28.35
146	20	Tanzania	27.79
147	21	CameroonFCS	27.78
148	22	Togo	27.49
150	23	ComorosFCS	26.35
151	24	Angola	25.45
152	25	Mauritania	25.40
153	26	Congo, Rep.FCS	24.57
154	27	NigeriaFCS	24.55
155	28	EthiopiaFCS	24.03
157	29	MozambiqueFCS	23.21
159	30	MaliFCS	22.93
160	31	Madagascar	22.78
162	32	Uganda	22.38
163	33	Guinea	21.89
164	34	Burkina FasoFCS	21.69
165	35	Malawi	21.49
166	36	SudanFCS	20.12
167	37	Liberia	20.10
168	38	NigerFCS	19.57
169	39	Guinea-BissauFCS	19.43
171	40	EritreaFCS	18.16
172	41	BurundiFCS	17.57
173	42	Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS	17.42
174	43	Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS	15.20
175	44	ChadFCS	15.05
176	45	South SudanFCS	14.26
177	46	Central African RepublicFCS	13.38