Education Index by Country 2026

Education is a fundamental part of modern human society and with good reason. The easier educational opportunities are to access in a country and the more educated that society is overall, the greater the overall well-being of that country’s society.

However, accurately measuring and tracking the average level of education from country to country can be challenging, The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regularly publishes a Human Development Index (HDI) that includes an Education Index. The purpose of the Education Index is to lend insight into the comparative educational development of countries around the world.

Here’s a closer look at some of the countries with the highest overall Education Index scores, as well as some key determining factors that can affect these numbers.

Countries with the Highest Education Index Scores Worldwide

Additional countries with reasonably high scores include Greece, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Slovenia, Canada, Ireland, the United States, Lithuania, and Latvia.

Conversely, populations in areas with limited access to quality schooling scored much lower overall. Examples include multiple nations across Africa, such as Chad, Niger, and South Sudan.

Factors Potentially Impacting Education Index Scores by Country

Naturally, a country’s educational system can be fairly complex, so numerous factors can come into play and affect scores one way or the other. The following are some key examples to be aware of.

Access to Quality Education

There are numerous subfactors that can impact a population’s actual access to quality education in the first place. Examples include but may not be limited to regional obstacles, gender disparities, and various inadequacies or inequalities within the educational system itself.

Cultural Values

Not all countries have the same values regarding education, culturally speaking. In many countries, a good education and academic achievement are indeed vitally important, valued, and encouraged. However, in other nations or regions, getting married and starting a family may be of greater concern.

Economic Standing

On average, wealthier countries tend to have significantly better education systems. There’s more capital to invest in educational infrastructure, adequate training for educators, student resources, and so forth. The same goes for countries with ample governmental support for education.

Greater financial investment typically goes hand in hand with a better-educated society overall.