While a staggering 244 million children worldwide were out of school in 2020, the global landscape of education reveals a complex tapestry of extraordinary progress and persistent challenges, as seen in the remarkable enrollment figures from China, the rising tertiary attainment in South Korea, and the sobering learning outcomes highlighted by assessments from India to the United States.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, the United States had 49.6 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, representing 89% of all K-12 students.
- Globally, 244 million children and youth were out of school in 2020, with 129 million girls and 115 million boys affected according to UNESCO estimates.
- In 2022, China's primary school enrollment reached 103.4 million students, a gross enrollment rate of 99.9%.
- Worldwide, adult literacy rate for ages 15+ was 87% in 2020 per UNESCO.
- In the US, 37.7% of adults aged 25+ had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2022.
- India's literacy rate rose to 77.7% in 2021, with male 84.7% and female 70.3%.
- US public K-12 education spending per pupil was $15,424 in 2020-21.
- Global public expenditure on education averaged 4.5% of GDP in 2020.
- China's education budget was 4.7 trillion yuan in 2022, or 4.2% of GDP.
- In the US, there were 3.2 million full-time equivalent teachers in public schools in 2021.
- Global student-teacher ratio in primary education averaged 23:1 in 2020.
- China had 18.7 million full-time teachers in 2022.
- US PISA math score averaged 465 in 2022, below OECD 472.
- Finland's reading literacy score was 490 in PISA 2022.
- Singapore topped TIMSS 2023 math at 615 for grade 8.
Educational progress varies globally with persistent enrollment gaps and learning outcome challenges.
Academic Performance
- US PISA math score averaged 465 in 2022, below OECD 472.
- Finland's reading literacy score was 490 in PISA 2022.
- Singapore topped TIMSS 2023 math at 615 for grade 8.
- India's ASER 2022 showed 43% grade 5 kids couldn't read grade 2 text.
- OECD average graduation rate from upper secondary was 86% in 2021.
- China's Shanghai PISA science score was 580 in 2018.
- Brazil's SAEB 2021 math proficiency in grade 5 was 33% adequate.
- Germany's PISA 2022 reading score dropped to 480 from 498 in 2018.
- Japan's TIMSS grade 4 math score was 567 in 2019.
- Nigeria's EGRA showed 40% primary 2 pupils unable to read 20 words/min in 2021.
- Canada's PISA math score was 497 in 2022.
- France's baccalauréat pass rate was 95.9% in 2022.
- Australia's NAPLAN reading mean for year 9 was 580 in 2022.
- Mexico's PISA science score was 410 in 2022.
- UK's PISA math average was 489 in 2022.
- Indonesia's PISA reading score was 359 in 2022.
- South Korea's PISA top performer in math at 527 in 2022.
- Egypt's TIMSS grade 8 math score was 396 in 2019.
- Turkey's PISA science was 468 in 2022.
- EU PISA average math score was 474 in 2022.
- Pakistan's ASER showed 58% grade 5 unable to divide 64 by 2 in 2022.
- Vietnam's PISA math score was 546 in 2018 (grade 10 equivalent).
- South Africa's SACMEQ reading score for grade 6 averaged 493 in 2019.
- Italy's PISA reading was 482 in 2022.
- Bangladesh's primary completion rate was 82% in 2021.
- Saudi Arabia's PISA math score was 398 in 2018.
- Philippines' PISA reading was 347 in 2018.
- Russia's PISA science score was 478 in 2022.
- Argentina's PISA math was 378 in 2022.
- Thailand's PISA reading score was 379 in 2022.
Academic Performance Interpretation
The global education landscape reveals a stark, sobering truth: while a few nations are sprinting ahead in a race for academic excellence, far too many are struggling to get their students out of the starting blocks, with basic literacy and numeracy still a distant finish line for millions.
Educational Attainment
- Worldwide, adult literacy rate for ages 15+ was 87% in 2020 per UNESCO.
- In the US, 37.7% of adults aged 25+ had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2022.
- India's literacy rate rose to 77.7% in 2021, with male 84.7% and female 70.3%.
- OECD average tertiary attainment for 25-34 year olds was 49% in 2022.
- In China, upper secondary completion rate reached 91% for the cohort in 2020.
- Sub-Saharan Africa's adult literacy rate was 66% in 2020.
- Japan's attainment of tertiary education among 25-34 was 64% in 2022.
- Brazil's youth literacy rate (15-24) was 97.3% in 2021.
- Germany's population aged 25-64 had 32% with tertiary education in 2022.
- South Korea led with 70% tertiary attainment for 25-34 year olds in 2022.
- Nigeria's adult literacy rate was 62% in 2021, with urban 80% vs rural 50%.
- France reported 48% of 25-34 year olds with tertiary education in 2022.
- Australia's adult literacy proficiency level 3 or above was 44% in 2023.
- Mexico's literacy rate for population 15+ was 95.2% in 2020.
- UK's higher education attainment for 25-64 was 47% in 2022.
- Indonesia's literacy rate reached 96% in 2022.
- Canada's postsecondary attainment for 25-64 was 60% in 2021.
- Egypt's youth literacy rate was 92.6% in 2021.
- Turkey's tertiary gross graduation ratio was 82% in 2021.
- EU average upper secondary attainment for 25-64 was 83% in 2022.
- Pakistan's female literacy rate was 46.8% in 2021.
- Vietnam's adult literacy rate was 95.8% in 2020.
- South Africa's literacy rate for 15+ was 87% in 2021.
- Italy's tertiary attainment for 25-34 was 32% in 2022.
- Bangladesh's literacy rate improved to 74.7% in 2021.
- Saudi Arabia's literacy rate reached 97.2% in 2022.
- Philippines' functional literacy rate was 91.6% for 10-64 year olds in 2021.
- Russia's upper secondary completion was 97% in 2021.
- Argentina's tertiary enrollment-to-population ratio was 60% in 2021.
- Thailand's literacy rate was 94.1% in 2021.
Educational Attainment Interpretation
While a global literacy rate of 87% suggests we can mostly all read the manual, the stark disparities in higher education and persistent gender gaps reveal a world still struggling to write its own fair and equal story.
School Funding
- US public K-12 education spending per pupil was $15,424 in 2020-21.
- Global public expenditure on education averaged 4.5% of GDP in 2020.
- China's education budget was 4.7 trillion yuan in 2022, or 4.2% of GDP.
- India's education spending was 3.1% of GDP in 2022-23.
- OECD countries spent $10,500 per student on primary to tertiary in 2020.
- Brazil allocated 6.3% of GDP to education in 2021.
- Germany's public education expenditure was 4.8% of GDP in 2021.
- Japan's education spending per primary student was $10,300 in 2020 PPP.
- Nigeria's education budget was 5.4% of total expenditure in 2022.
- France spent €7,800 per primary student in 2021.
- Australia's government education expenditure was 5.5% of GDP in 2022.
- Mexico's public spending on education was 4.5% of GDP in 2021.
- UK's total education spending reached £102 billion in 2021/22.
- Indonesia budgeted IDR 665 trillion for education in 2023, 20% of total.
- Canada's provincial education spending per student was CAD 14,234 in 2021.
- Egypt's education expenditure was 3.5% of GDP in 2022.
- Turkey spent 4.1% of GDP on education in 2021.
- EU average education spending was 4.7% of GDP in 2020.
- Pakistan's education allocation was 2.1% of GDP in 2022.
- Vietnam's state budget for education was 20% in 2022.
- South Africa's education spending was 6.2% of GDP in 2021/22.
- Italy's public education expenditure per student was €8,900 in 2021.
- Bangladesh spent 2.0% of GDP on education in 2021.
- Saudi Arabia's education budget was SAR 249 billion in 2023.
- Philippines allocated PHP 736 billion to DepEd in 2023.
- Russia’s education spending was 4.7% of GDP in 2022.
- Argentina invested 6.6% of GDP in education in 2022.
- Thailand's education budget was 3.5% of GDP in 2022.
School Funding Interpretation
The global classroom's report card shows wildly different answers to "How much is learning worth?" revealing that while some nations invest heavily in their future, others are still searching for the change between the couch cushions.
Student Enrollment
- In 2021, the United States had 49.6 million students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools, representing 89% of all K-12 students.
- Globally, 244 million children and youth were out of school in 2020, with 129 million girls and 115 million boys affected according to UNESCO estimates.
- In 2022, China's primary school enrollment reached 103.4 million students, a gross enrollment rate of 99.9%.
- India's gross enrollment ratio (GER) for higher secondary education in 2020-21 was 57.0% for ages 16-17.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, primary school net enrollment rate was 66% in 2021, up from 59% in 2010.
- Japan reported 10.2 million students in compulsory education in 2022, with a 99.9% enrollment rate.
- Brazil's public university enrollment grew to 8.3 million students in 2021, with 79% in free federal institutions.
- In Germany, 8.2 million pupils were enrolled in general schools in 2022/23, including 2.7 million in secondary level II.
- South Korea had a tertiary enrollment rate of 71.2% in 2021 among 18-22 year olds.
- Nigeria's primary school enrollment stood at 41 million in 2021, but with a net attendance rate of only 61%.
- In 2022, France had 12.4 million students in national education, with 6.7 million in primary and 5.7 million in secondary.
- Australia's higher education enrollment reached 1.5 million domestic students in 2022.
- In Mexico, upper secondary enrollment rate was 85.2% in 2021-22.
- UK universities enrolled 2.8 million students in 2021/22, with 46% in postgraduate programs.
- Indonesia's elementary school enrollment rate hit 99.1% in 2022.
- In 2021, Canada's postsecondary enrollment was 2.2 million, with 70% full-time students.
- Egypt reported 24 million students in pre-university education in 2022/23.
- Turkey's higher education enrollment exceeded 8 million in 2022, with 7.6 million in formal education.
- In 2020, the EU had 18.3 million tertiary students, led by Germany with 3 million.
- Pakistan's primary net enrollment rate was 70% in 2021 for ages 6-10.
- In 2022, public school enrollment in the US dropped to 48.1 million from pre-pandemic levels.
- Vietnam's gross enrollment ratio in lower secondary reached 98.5% in 2021.
- South Africa's tertiary enrollment rate was 19.4% in 2021.
- In Italy, 2.9 million students were enrolled in universities in 2021/22.
- Bangladesh primary enrollment rate was 97.8% in 2021.
- In 2023, Saudi Arabia's kindergarten enrollment reached 1.4 million students.
- Philippines senior high school enrollment was 3.4 million in 2022-23.
- In 2021, Russia's general education enrollment was 15.5 million pupils.
- Argentina's university enrollment hit 2.1 million in 2022.
- In 2022, Thailand's primary enrollment rate was 98.2%.
Student Enrollment Interpretation
This global report card reveals a classroom divided, where near-universal enrollment in some nations highlights a sobering deficit in others, proving that access to education remains a privilege tragically measured by geography and gender.
Teacher Statistics
- In the US, there were 3.2 million full-time equivalent teachers in public schools in 2021.
- Global student-teacher ratio in primary education averaged 23:1 in 2020.
- China had 18.7 million full-time teachers in 2022.
- India's pupil-teacher ratio in elementary schools was 23:1 in 2021-22.
- OECD average primary teacher salary was $39,000 USD PPP in 2021.
- Brazil employed 2.3 million basic education teachers in 2021.
- Germany's teaching workforce numbered 830,000 in 2022.
- Japan had 930,000 teachers in compulsory education in 2022.
- Nigeria needed 388,000 more primary teachers to meet standards in 2021.
- France's primary teachers numbered 260,000 in 2022.
- Australia had 266,000 full-time teachers in schools in 2022.
- Mexico's teacher training covered 1.2 million educators in 2022.
- UK's school teacher workforce was 506,000 full-time equivalents in 2022.
- Indonesia trained 3.1 million teachers via PPG program by 2022.
- Canada had 423,000 educators in elementary-secondary in 2021.
- Egypt employed 1.1 million teachers in public schools in 2022.
- Turkey's teacher number reached 1.2 million in 2022.
- EU primary pupil-teacher ratio averaged 14.5:1 in 2021.
- Pakistan's primary student-teacher ratio was 36:1 in 2021.
- Vietnam had 1.1 million teachers in general education in 2022.
- South Africa's public school teachers totaled 443,000 in 2022.
- Italy employed 850,000 school teachers in 2022.
- Bangladesh had 1.5 million primary teachers in 2021.
- Saudi Arabia recruited 50,000 new teachers in 2022-23.
- Philippines had 900,000 public school teachers in 2023.
- Russia employed 1.5 million pedagogical workers in 2022.
- Argentina's teacher workforce was 700,000 in basic education 2022.
- Thailand had 700,000 teachers in schools in 2022.
Teacher Statistics Interpretation
Amidst a global patchwork where a teacher's salary often speaks louder than their class size, the raw numbers reveal an urgent but underpaid army of millions battling for attention one student at a time.
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