While the world has made remarkable strides in getting 89.3% of children into primary school, the jarring reality is that millions are still left behind in a persistent global education gap.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the global primary net enrolment rate reached 89.3%, an increase from 82.9% in 2000, representing 130 million more children in school
- Sub-Saharan Africa's primary net enrolment rate was 80.2% in 2022, compared to the global average of 89.3%, leaving 28 million children out of school
- South Asia's primary net enrolment rate improved to 92.1% in 2022 from 78.5% in 2000, driven by policy reforms
- Globally, primary completion rate was 87% in 2022, but only 67% in low-income countries
- Lower secondary completion rate worldwide stood at 75% in 2022, with gender gaps persisting
- Upper secondary completion rate globally was 52% in 2022 for the relevant age group
- Global adult literacy rate (15+) was 87% in 2022, up from 83% in 2010
- Youth literacy rate (15-24) globally reached 92% in 2022, with males at 94% and females 91%
- Sub-Saharan Africa's adult literacy rate was 66% in 2022, lowest globally
- Global gender parity index for primary enrolment was 0.97 in 2022, nearing parity
- Lower secondary gender parity index globally was 0.95 in 2022, with girls slightly underrepresented
- Tertiary gender parity index reached 1.05 in 2022, with more women enrolled globally
- Globally, 250 million children were out of school at primary and secondary levels in 2022
- 60% of out-of-school children lived in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in 2022
- Poverty affected 40% of out-of-school primary children globally in 2022
Despite significant progress, millions of children worldwide still lack access to quality education.
Completion Rates
- Globally, primary completion rate was 87% in 2022, but only 67% in low-income countries
- Lower secondary completion rate worldwide stood at 75% in 2022, with gender gaps persisting
- Upper secondary completion rate globally was 52% in 2022 for the relevant age group
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, primary completion rate was 65% in 2022, down due to dropouts
- South Asia's primary completion rate reached 93% in 2022, led by India and Bangladesh
- Global female primary completion rate was 88% in 2022, surpassing males at 86%
- Lower secondary completion in low-income countries was 48% in 2022
- Latin America's primary completion rate was 96% in 2022, near universal
- Middle East and North Africa's lower secondary completion was 80% in 2022
- East Asia's upper secondary completion rate hit 92% in 2022
- Europe's tertiary completion rate for first degree was 45% in 2022 cohort
- In 2022, 90% of primary completers in high-income countries transitioned to secondary
- Nigeria's primary completion rate was 72% in 2022, with urban areas at 85%
- Pakistan's lower secondary completion improved to 65% in 2022 from 50% in 2015
- India's secondary completion rate was 78% in 2021-22, per ASER report
- Brazil achieved 92% lower secondary completion in 2022
- Ethiopia's primary completion rate rose to 68% in 2022
- Bangladesh's upper secondary completion reached 85% in 2022 for girls
- Yemen's primary completion dropped to 55% in 2022 amid crisis
Completion Rates Interpretation
The global report card reveals a stark, unfinished lesson: while some regions are acing universal education, the world is still flunking its duty to ensure every child, especially in low-income countries, can even finish the first chapter.
Enrollment Statistics
- In 2022, the global primary net enrolment rate reached 89.3%, an increase from 82.9% in 2000, representing 130 million more children in school
- Sub-Saharan Africa's primary net enrolment rate was 80.2% in 2022, compared to the global average of 89.3%, leaving 28 million children out of school
- South Asia's primary net enrolment rate improved to 92.1% in 2022 from 78.5% in 2000, driven by policy reforms
- Globally, 64 million primary-school-age children were out of school in 2022, down from 100 million in 2000
- In low-income countries, primary gross enrolment ratio was 104.6% in 2021, indicating over-age enrollment due to late entry
- Eastern and Southern Africa's primary net enrolment rate stood at 82.4% in 2022, with rural areas lagging at 78%
- Latin America and the Caribbean achieved a 95.7% primary net enrolment rate in 2022, near universal access
- Middle East and North Africa's primary net enrolment was 93.8% in 2022, but conflict zones dropped to 85%
- Globally, girls' primary net enrolment rate was 89.1% in 2022, slightly below boys' 89.5%
- In 2021, 59% of primary-school-age children in least developed countries were enrolled, per UNESCO data
- Central Asia's primary net enrolment rate was 98.2% in 2022, one of the highest regionally
- East Asia and Pacific's primary enrolment rate hit 97.4% in 2022, supported by compulsory education laws
- Europe's primary net enrolment was virtually universal at 99.1% in 2022
- North America's primary enrolment rate exceeded 99% in 2022, with minimal disparities
- In 2020, COVID-19 caused a drop in global primary enrolment by 1.5 percentage points temporarily
- Afghanistan's primary net enrolment was 72% in 2021 pre-Taliban, dropping further post-2021
- Nigeria's primary net enrolment rate was 61% in 2022, with northern regions at 53%
- Pakistan improved primary enrolment to 88% in 2022 from 72% in 2015
- India's primary gross enrolment ratio was 103.5% in 2021-22, per UDISE data
- Brazil's primary net enrolment reached 97.2% in 2022
- Ethiopia's primary enrolment rose to 85% in 2022 from 64% in 2010
- Bangladesh achieved 97.8% primary net enrolment in 2022
- Yemen's primary enrolment fell to 65% in 2022 due to conflict
- Global lower secondary net enrolment rate was 77% in 2022, up from 67% in 2010
- Upper secondary net enrolment globally reached 54% in 2022 for 15-17 year olds
- In 2022, 244 million adolescents were out of lower secondary school globally
- High-income countries had 95% lower secondary enrolment in 2022
- Least developed countries' lower secondary enrolment was 45% in 2022
- Global tertiary gross enrolment ratio was 40% in 2022, doubled from 2000
- Sub-Saharan Africa's tertiary enrolment was only 9% in 2022
Enrollment Statistics Interpretation
Progress is undeniable, as 130 million more children entered primary school since 2000, but the devil is in the details—or rather, the devastating disparities—with conflict, poverty, and geography conspiring to keep millions locked out, proving that global education is a sprint where far too many are still forced to crawl.
Gender Parity
- Global gender parity index for primary enrolment was 0.97 in 2022, nearing parity
- Lower secondary gender parity index globally was 0.95 in 2022, with girls slightly underrepresented
- Tertiary gender parity index reached 1.05 in 2022, with more women enrolled globally
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, primary GPI was 0.92 in 2022, indicating male advantage
- South Asia's secondary GPI improved to 0.98 in 2022 from 0.85 in 2000
- Globally, 15 million more girls than boys out of primary school in 2022? No, reversed: 4 million more boys out
- Arab States' tertiary GPI was 1.02 in 2022
- Low-income countries' primary GPI was 0.94 in 2022
- Latin America's secondary GPI was 1.03 in 2022, favoring girls
- East Asia's GPI for all levels exceeded 1.00 in 2022
- Europe's tertiary GPI was 1.15 in 2022, more women in higher education
- Afghanistan's primary GPI dropped to 0.70 post-2021
- Nigeria's secondary GPI was 0.85 in 2022
- Pakistan's primary GPI reached 0.92 in 2022
- India's secondary GPI was 1.01 in 2021-22
- Brazil's tertiary GPI was 1.25 in 2022
- Ethiopia's primary GPI improved to 0.95 in 2022
- Bangladesh's secondary GPI was 1.10 in 2022, girls outperforming
- Yemen's GPI for primary fell to 0.80 in 2022
- Globally, 132 million school-age girls were out of school in 2022
- In fragile states, gender parity in literacy was 0.85 for adults in 2022
Gender Parity Interpretation
The global education gender gap is a shape-shifter, flipping from favoring boys at the gate to a pronounced and welcome advantage for women at the finish line, yet it cruelly reverts to its old ways in the world's most challenging contexts.
Literacy Rates
- Global adult literacy rate (15+) was 87% in 2022, up from 83% in 2010
- Youth literacy rate (15-24) globally reached 92% in 2022, with males at 94% and females 91%
- Sub-Saharan Africa's adult literacy rate was 66% in 2022, lowest globally
- South Asia's literacy rate improved to 74% in 2022 from 58% in 2000
- Global female adult literacy was 84% in 2022, compared to 89% for males
- In low-income countries, adult literacy stood at 61% in 2022
- Latin America and Caribbean's youth literacy was 97% in 2022
- Arab States' adult literacy reached 80% in 2022
- East Asia and Pacific's literacy rate was 97% for adults in 2022
- Central Asia's female literacy rate was 99.5% in 2022
- Europe's adult literacy exceeded 99% in 2022
- Afghanistan's adult literacy was 43% in 2021, with women at 30%
- Nigeria's youth literacy rate was 70% in 2022
- Pakistan's adult literacy improved to 60% in 2022 from 50% in 2015
- India's adult literacy reached 77.7% in 2022 per NSO survey
- Brazil's literacy rate for 15+ was 94% in 2022
- Ethiopia's adult literacy rose to 52% in 2022
- Bangladesh achieved 76% adult literacy in 2022
- Yemen's literacy rate fell to 54% in 2022 due to war
- Globally, 773 million adults lacked basic literacy skills in 2022
- Functional literacy in low-income countries was below 40% for numeracy in 2022 PISA-like assessments
Literacy Rates Interpretation
While the global literacy narrative shows promising upward momentum, with regions like East Asia at near perfection and youth leading the charge, it's clear the story is one of stubbornly unequal chapters, where being born a girl in Afghanistan or an adult in Sub-Saharan Africa means the plot of your life is still too often written in the margins.
Out-of-School and Barriers
- Globally, 250 million children were out of school at primary and secondary levels in 2022
- 60% of out-of-school children lived in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in 2022
- Poverty affected 40% of out-of-school primary children globally in 2022
- Conflict and crises kept 36 million children out of school in 2022, mainly in 28 countries
- Rural children were 20% more likely to be out of school than urban in low-income countries 2022
- Child labor excluded 28 million children from education globally in 2022, per ILO-UNESCO
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, 98 million children out of school in 2022 across all levels
- South Asia had 36 million out-of-school children in 2022, down 50% since 2000
- 128 countries had less than 20 trained teachers per school in 2022, affecting access
- COVID-19 increased out-of-school risk by 10 million more children globally in 2021-2022
- Nigeria had 18 million out-of-school children in 2022, mostly in north
- Pakistan's out-of-school children numbered 22.8 million in 2022
- India's out-of-school rate was 2.8% at elementary level in 2021-22
- Afghanistan saw 3.7 million children out of school post-2021, 80% girls
- Yemen had 2 million children out of school in 2022, 50% of school-age
- Globally, lack of schools kept 15% of rural children out in low-income areas 2022
- Disability excluded 33 million children from school globally in 2022
- Early marriage caused 12 million girls to drop out annually pre-2022 trends
- In 2022, 69 million more girls needed secondary education access globally
- Distance to school averaged 3km in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, barrier for 20% in 2022
Out-of-School and Barriers Interpretation
If you plotted all the barriers to education—from poverty's heavy hand and the echo of bombs to the three-kilometer walk in the sun and the empty chair where a teacher should be—you'd get a map of the world where a quarter of a billion childhoods are currently being rerouted away from a future.
Sources & References
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