Saudi Arabia improves rank in Global Knowledge Index

The Kingdom has been ranked in 42nd place out of 138 countries in the Global Knowledge Index. The UN index measures education, research and development and innovation around the world.

Saudi Education Minister Hamad Al-Sheikh said that the ranking represented important progress compared to previous years, where the Kingdom had advanced 10 and 24 places compared to its rankings in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

Al-Sheikh said: “The Kingdom has made a quantum leap in this indicator at the international level in seven areas, namely pre-university education, technical and vocational education and training, higher education, research development and innovation, information and communications technology (ICT), economy and enabling environments.”  He added: “The Kingdom’s overall index (50.9) is nearly four points higher than the international average, with an international average of 46.7.”

The minister underlined that the achievement came at a time when education continues to achieve globally advanced positions according to international indicators, thanks to the support that the Saudi leadership accords to the education sector so as to achieve global leadership.

Al-Sheikh said that the Kingdom scored 68.5 in the field of technical and vocational education and training index, while the international average was 50.8.

In the research and innovation index it scored 29.7, while the international index averaged 26. The Kingdom’s index in the higher education surpassed the international index by one point, scoring 41.3 against 40.3.

SPA