UNESCO: 273 Million Children and Youth Remain Out of School as Global Progress Slows
The number of children and young people out of school has reached 273 million worldwide, rising for a seventh consecutive year, UNESCO said on April 22. The finding marks a reversal of earlier progress toward universal education and shows that gains have slowed across nearly every region since 2015.
UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report points to rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa as a major reason for the regional slowdown. It also identifies school closures linked to regional tensions as an additional pressure on access to education.
The global figure covers children and youth across education systems worldwide. It does not mean that every region experienced an increase of the same size, but it signals that the overall number of young people outside school is continuing to grow.
Progress has lost momentum
The report’s central concern is not the absence of education policies. Since 2022, 80% of countries have communicated national targets for eight education indicators to be achieved by 2030. Those targets are intended to guide efforts to improve access and participation, but their existence alone does not show that countries are on track to meet them.
UNESCO also documented long-term expansion in formal education guarantees. Among the 158 countries included in the compulsory-education comparison, the share providing 12 years of compulsory education rose from 8% in 1998 to 26% in 2023.
Free education has expanded as well, although more gradually. Among 130 countries measured, the average duration of free education increased from 10 years to 10.8 years over the comparison period. The different country samples mean that these figures describe separate historical comparisons rather than a single universal panel of countries.
Policies have expanded, but exclusion persists
The report said financing mechanisms aimed at disadvantaged students and schools have expanded substantially over the past 25 years. Such mechanisms are designed to direct more support toward learners and institutions facing greater barriers to participation.
That policy expansion has not translated into a sustained decline in the global out-of-school population. Population growth can increase the number of children who need places even when enrollment systems expand, while conflict and regional tensions can interrupt schooling and force students out of classrooms.
The result is a widening challenge for governments: expanding systems must not only bring more children into school but also maintain access as populations grow and disruptions continue. The report’s regional findings caution against treating the global total as evidence of one uniform pattern. The pressures differ by region, even as the worldwide trend has worsened.
The 2030 deadline
National targets for 2030 give governments a stated framework for measuring progress on eight education indicators. The scale of the current shortfall makes implementation critical. With 273 million children and youth outside school, progress will depend on whether commitments are matched by policies and financing that reach disadvantaged learners and schools.
The findings were released in a year when the United Nations’ International Day of Education emphasized young people as co-creators of education. That focus places youth participation alongside the more immediate question of access: millions of children and young people still need a path into school, while countries seek to recover momentum before 2030.
UNESCO’s report therefore presents a mixed picture. Governments have extended compulsory and free-education provisions, set national targets and broadened financing tools. Yet the number of children and youth out of school has continued to rise, making the next four years especially important for turning those commitments into measurable gains.
Sources
- More children out of school for the 7th year in a row, up to 273 million, UNESCO
- 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report
- International Day of Education 2026, United Nations
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