Having a competitive higher education system means having universities capable of training qualified professionals, producing recognized scientific research and keeping pace with major technological and economic transformations on a global scale.
To assess the state of higher education and research systems worldwide, the “measuresHE Country 100” index, published by measuresHE, evaluates 100 countries using 25 indicators related in particular to research quality, academic integrity, global reputation, international collaboration and sustainability.
To qualify, countries had to produce at least 4,000 relevant scientific publications during the 2020–2024 period.
The study is based on seven major pillars: research quality, global reputation, scientific openness, academic integrity, demographics and investment, international integration, and sustainability.
Tunisia in Africa’s Top 5
In this ranking, the Tunisian higher education system ranks 69th globally in 2026 out of 100 countries evaluated.
At the African level, Tunisia holds 4th place among the continent’s most competitive university systems, with an overall score of 46.7 out of 100.
In detail, the country achieved a score of 41.8 for the ranking’s most decisive indicator: the quality of scientific research, which notably measures the impact of academic publications, citation levels, and international influence.
Tunisia performs best in the pillar related to academic integrity, with a score of 93.6. This indicator evaluates the reliability and ethics of scientific research, taking into account factors such as the low rate of publication retractions, limits on self-citation practices, and compliance with international academic standards.
For the remaining indicators, Tunisia scored:
- 55.7 for sustainability
- 47.6 for demographics and investment
- 44.9 for international integration
- 40.6 for scientific openness
However, the country shows more limited performance in terms of global positioning, with a score of 32.2, an indicator notably linked to the visibility of Tunisian universities in major global academic rankings.
South Africa, the continent’s top-performing university system
At the continental level, South Africa has Africa’s most competitive higher education and research system. The country ranks 28th globally with an overall score of 71.4 points.
Egypt comes second in Africa and ranks 41st worldwide with a score of 63 points. Ghana completes the African podium in 63rd place globally with 51.4 points.
Only three countries on the continent managed to surpass the 50-point mark in the index, highlighting a significant gap between Africa’s highest-ranked university systems and the rest of the continent, according to the authors.
Behind Tunisia, which ranks 4th in Africa, are:
- Ethiopia (71st globally)
- Morocco (72nd)
- Uganda (76th)
- Nigeria (79th)
- Algeria (83rd)
Kenya closes the African Top 10 by ranking 85th globally.
Europe and Anglo-Saxon countries lead globally
Globally, the United Kingdom tops the ranking with a score of 92.9 points. The country benefits from highly influential scientific production and a dense network of international collaborations.
The Netherlands ranks second with 89.6 points, supported by an open, highly internationalized university system recognized for the quality and rigor of its research. It ranks ahead of the United States (88.2 points), Sweden (88.1 points), and Canada (87.8 points).
In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia stands out as the region’s best-performing university system. It ranks 20th globally with a score of 79.1 points. The country has recently made major investments in research, developed internationally ranked universities, and encouraged high-impact scientific publishing.
