Country profile

South Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa Upper middle income64.01M inhabitants

Last updated December 22, 2025

Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

South Africa demonstrates early-stage readiness (63rd 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.

57.14Composite score

Global percentile: 63rd
Global rank: #67
Regional rank: #1
Viewing data for

Infrastructure

66.70

60th percentileGlobal avg. 56.42

Human Capital

50.76

53rd percentileGlobal avg. 46.98

Innovation

45.92

64th percentileGlobal avg. 42.60

Governance

51.23

62nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.71

Access & Parity

71.10

60th percentileGlobal avg. 50.60

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.

All or most indicators are based on observed data, giving planners a dependable evidence base for decisions. 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.

Key insights

Sits above the global median at the 63rd percentile.
Places 67th worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 1st within Sub-Saharan Africa .
Scores range from Access & Parity (71.1) to Innovation (45.9), 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
67	1	South Africa	57.14
68	2	Mauritius	56.87
—	—	SeychellesMicrostate	55.72
74	3	Botswana	55.44
108	4	Namibia	43.86
111	5	Ghana	40.92
113	6	Cabo Verde	39.81
115	7	Sierra Leone	38.84
—	—	Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate	38.53
119	8	Eswatini	37.54
127	9	Senegal	35.31
128	10	Gabon	34.39
130	11	Rwanda	33.46
132	12	Kenya	33.01
136	13	Cote d'Ivoire	31.71
138	14	Gambia, The	30.79
140	15	Lesotho	29.76
141	16	Equatorial Guinea	29.48
142	17	Benin	29.14
143	18	Zambia	28.93
144	19	ZimbabweFCS	28.92
146	20	Tanzania	28.51
147	21	Togo	28.14
148	22	CameroonFCS	27.69
150	23	Mauritania	25.98
151	24	ComorosFCS	25.84
152	25	Angola	25.63
154	26	Congo, Rep.FCS	24.72
155	27	MozambiqueFCS	24.40
156	28	NigeriaFCS	24.09
157	29	EthiopiaFCS	24.04
158	30	Madagascar	23.66
159	31	Malawi	23.03
160	32	MaliFCS	23.02
161	33	Burkina FasoFCS	22.80
162	34	Uganda	22.60
164	35	Guinea	22.13
166	36	Liberia	21.10
167	37	NigerFCS	20.37
168	38	SudanFCS	20.10
169	39	BurundiFCS	18.87
170	40	Guinea-BissauFCS	18.69
171	41	EritreaFCS	18.19
172	42	Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS	17.22
174	43	ChadFCS	15.73
175	44	South SudanFCS	15.65
176	45	Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS	14.75
177	46	Central African RepublicFCS	13.33