Rankings of Education Worldwide 2026

File: World Population Review 

World Population Review has compiled the 2026 rankings of education levels by country. Public education score was the main metric used in the list. 

The best education systems in the world are found in Denmark (Public Education score 100.0), Sweden (Public Education score 99.9), the United Kingdom (Public Education score 96.8), and Finland (Public Education score 96.6). Strong early childhood education, highly qualified instructors, and more equal educational systems are all characteristics of top-ranked nations that enable better and more consistent student achievements on international benchmarks. 

The countries with the worst educational systems in the world are Cambodia (Public Education score 1.0), El Salvador (Public Education score 1.0), Myanmar (Public Education score 0.8), and Honduras (Public Education score 0.6). Lower-ranked nations frequently deal with issues like poor literacy rates, restricted access to education, underfunded educational systems, and obstacles to regular student attendance and completion.

The quality of public education systems, access to higher education, and how nations are viewed in terms of providing high-quality education are some of the criteria that determine education rankings. These metrics evaluate the overall performance of the system by combining worldwide survey responses with objective data.