Global Education
Global adult literacy reached 87% in 2026 (male 91%, female 83%), with 752 million children in primary school (91% enrollment). Education spending hit $5.5 trillion (4.5% GDP), yet 129 million girls remain out of school and learning outcomes vary dramatically—PISA 2024 scores range from Singapore 575 to low-income countries under 350.
Key Education Insights
Literacy Progress Masks Disparities
Global adult literacy (15+) reached 87% in 2026, up from 76% (1990) and 82% (2010). Youth literacy (15-24) higher at 92%, showing generational progress. Gender gap persists: men 91% vs women 83% (8-point gap). Regional extremes: North America 99%, Europe 99%, East Asia 97%, Latin America 95%, Arab States 82%, South Asia 75%, Sub-Saharan Africa 68%. Country leaders: Finland, Norway, Liechtenstein 100%, USA 99%, Japan 99%. Laggards: Niger 38%, Chad 41%, Mali 44%, Burkina Faso 46%, South Sudan 47%. Functional illiteracy (can read but lack comprehension) affects estimated 20% of adults in OECD countries, 40%+ in developing nations—standard literacy metrics miss this learning poverty.
Enrollment High But Quality Low
Primary enrollment 91% globally (752M students)—near universal. Secondary enrollment 76% (580M students), up from 54% (2000). Tertiary enrollment 42% (260M students), doubling since 2000 (19%). Completion rates lower: primary 86%, secondary 61%, tertiary 38% (high dropout). Regional gaps: Europe/N. America 97% primary, 93% secondary, 78% tertiary vs Sub-Saharan Africa 79% primary, 45% secondary, 9% tertiary. Gender parity improving: tertiary gender parity index 1.09 (109 women per 100 men globally), but reversed in Sub-Saharan Africa 0.68 and South Asia 0.88. Quality crisis: UNESCO estimates 420 million students (57%) complete primary school unable to read proficiently—"learning poverty." School attendance doesn't equal learning.
Education Investment Varies Wildly
Global education spending $5.5 trillion (4.5% GDP) in 2026, up from $3.9T (2015). Leaders: USA $850B (5.2% GDP, $2,640 per capita), China $680B (3.6% GDP, $480 per capita), India $162B (3.4% GDP, $112 per capita), Germany $198B (3.7% GDP, $2,340 per capita), Japan $182B (4.2% GDP, $1,450 per capita). Nordic countries highest GDP share: Norway 7.3%, Denmark 6.9%, Iceland 6.8%, Sweden 6.7%, Finland 6.4%. Per-student spending disparities extreme: Luxembourg $27,400/year, Norway $24,200, USA $15,800 vs Chad $47, South Sudan $52, CAR $61—580x gap. Low-income countries average 3.8% GDP but only $118 per capita, unable to hire qualified teachers, build infrastructure, provide materials. COVID widened gaps—OECD countries increased spending 8% (2020-2022), low-income cut 12%.
Gender Gap Persists in Education Access
129 million girls out of school globally (52% of 247M out-of-school children), despite gender parity in overall enrollment (gender parity index 0.97). Gap concentrated: Sub-Saharan Africa 54% of out-of-school girls, Arab States 22%, South Asia 16%. Factors: child marriage (12M annually, forces dropout), household chores (girls 40% more unpaid work), safety concerns (violence, harassment, lack of sanitation), poverty (families prioritize boys), conflict (girls' schools targeted). Tertiary level reversal: women 109:100 globally, but only 30% in STEM fields. Leadership gap: women 10% university presidents, 19% full professors, 35% researchers. Lifetime earnings impact: each year of girls' education increases income 10-20%, GDP 0.37%, yet investment remains inadequate.
Global Literacy Rates (1990-2026)
Adult (15+) and youth (15-24) literacy percentages
Key Finding: Adult literacy: 76% (1990) → 82% (2010) → 87% (2026). Youth literacy: 84% (1990) → 89% (2010) → 92% (2026). Gender gaps closing slowly—women 73% (1990) → 83% (2026), men 86% → 91%. Progress driven by South Asia (+20 points), Sub-Saharan Africa (+18 points), Arab States (+16 points). Remaining 770M illiterate adults: 63% women, 75% in 10 countries (India 285M, China 35M, Pakistan 58M, Bangladesh 48M, Nigeria 42M, Ethiopia 37M, Egypt 17M, Brazil 12M, DRC 25M, Indonesia 9M).
School Enrollment by Level (2026)
Primary, secondary, tertiary gross enrollment rates by region
Key Finding: Global enrollment: Primary 91%, Secondary 76%, Tertiary 42%. Regional leaders—Europe/N. America: 97%/93%/78%, E. Asia: 96%/88%/62%, Latin America: 94%/81%/54%. Laggards—Sub-Saharan Africa: 79%/45%/9%, South Asia: 88%/68%/32%, Arab States: 91%/73%/38%. "Enrollment cliff" at secondary level—dropout due to costs, child labor, early marriage, distance. Tertiary expansion fastest in East Asia (+28 points since 2000), slowest in Sub-Saharan Africa (+6 points). 247M children out of school: 58M primary age, 84M lower secondary, 105M upper secondary.
Education Spending by Country (2026)
Top 15 countries by total expenditure and % of GDP
Key Finding: Total spending leaders: USA $850B (5.2% GDP), China $680B (3.6%), India $162B (3.4%), Japan $182B (4.2%), Germany $198B (3.7%), UK $142B (4.8%), France $136B (4.6%), Brazil $126B (5.8%), S. Korea $108B (4.9%), Italy $92B (4.3%). GDP % leaders: Norway 7.3%, Denmark 6.9%, Iceland 6.8%, Cuba 6.5%, Costa Rica 6.3%, Brazil 5.8%. Per capita: Luxembourg $27,400, Norway $24,200, Switzerland $19,800, USA $15,800, Austria $14,200 vs Chad $47, CAR $61, Somalia $72. Public spending 81%, private/household 19% globally.
PISA 2024 Scores by Country
Average reading, math, science scores (top 20 performers)
Key Finding: PISA 2024 leaders: Singapore 575 (math 591, reading 559, science 575), Estonia 540 (551/530/541), Japan 530 (536/522/532), S. Korea 528 (534/521/529), Finland 525 (520/532/524), Canada 520 (512/528/522), Poland 515 (511/518/516), Ireland 512 (507/518/511), UK 502 (497/507/503), USA 495 (478/507/502). Global average 475. OECD average 485. Gaps widening—top-bottom 225 points. Socioeconomic gradient steep: richest quartile scores 97 points higher than poorest. Gender gaps: girls +8 reading, boys +6 math, parity science. COVID learning loss: average -12 points vs 2018.
Out-of-School Children by Region (2026)
Children not attending school in millions, by gender
Key Finding: 247 million children out of school globally: 58M primary age, 84M lower secondary, 105M upper secondary. Regional distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa 98M (40%), South Asia 52M (21%), N. Africa/W. Asia 38M (15%), E. Asia/Pacific 28M (11%), Latin America 18M (7%), Europe/N. America 8M (3%), Central Asia 5M (2%). Gender: 129M girls (52%), 118M boys (48%). Causes: poverty 38%, conflict/fragility 28%, disability 18%, child labor 12%, early marriage 8% (girls), location remoteness 15%. Half will never attend school.
Gender Parity in Education (2026)
Gender parity index by education level and region (1.0 = parity)
Key Finding: Gender Parity Index (GPI) female:male ratio—1.0 = parity, <0.97 = disparity favoring boys, >1.03 = favoring girls. Global: primary 0.99 (near parity), secondary 0.97 (slight male advantage), tertiary 1.09 (female advantage). Regional variations: Sub-Saharan Africa 0.92/0.87/0.68 (girls disadvantaged at all levels), South Asia 0.95/0.91/0.88, Arab States 0.96/0.94/1.02, Latin America 0.98/1.01/1.21 (girls surpass at secondary/tertiary). STEM gender gap: women only 30% of graduates globally, 18% in engineering, 22% computer science, 40% life sciences. Reversal in leadership: women 109% tertiary but 10% university presidents.
Understanding Education Data
Data Sources
Education statistics from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Global Education Database 2026 covering 200+ countries/territories, World Bank EdStats, OECD Education at a Glance 2026, UNICEF State of the World's Children, and national education ministries. UNESCO UIS collects data through: annual education surveys (ISCED framework), household surveys (MICS, DHS), population censuses, administrative school records. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests 600,000 15-year-olds in 81 countries every 3 years (2024 latest results).
Key Education Indicators Explained
- Literacy Rate: Percentage of population 15+ who can read and write a short simple statement about everyday life. UNESCO defines as: "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute using printed and written materials." Youth literacy (15-24) higher due to recent schooling. Functional literacy (comprehension, critical thinking) more stringent—estimates 20% of adults in developed countries lack despite basic literacy. Adult literacy surveys expensive, conducted every 5-10 years, often extrapolated from completion rates.
- Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER): Total enrollment in education level (primary, secondary, tertiary) as percentage of official school-age population. Can exceed 100% due to: over-age students (repeating grades, late entry), under-age students (early entry). Net Enrollment Rate (NER) counts only official age-group (stricter), typically 5-10 points lower. GER used for international comparison, NER for within-country tracking.
- Education Expenditure: Public + private spending on educational institutions, administration, subsidies, ancillary services (transport, meals, housing). Measured as: % of GDP (relative economic priority), per capita (absolute amount adjusted for population), per student (resources per learner adjusted for enrollment). OECD target: 4-6% GDP. Includes: teacher salaries (60-80% of budget), infrastructure, materials, R&D. Excludes: household tutoring costs, foregone earnings, transportation.
- Gender Parity Index (GPI): Ratio of female to male values for indicators (enrollment, literacy, completion). GPI = 1 indicates parity, < 0.97 disparity at expense of females, > 1.03 disparity at expense of males, 0.97-1.03 considered parity range. Example: GPI 0.85 means 85 girls enrolled per 100 boys. Used to track SDG 4.5 gender equality target.
- PISA Scores: OECD test of 15-year-olds' competency in reading, mathematics, science. Scale: 0-1000, mean 500, standard deviation 100. Proficiency levels: 1 (below 358) to 6 (above 698). Level 2 (407-480) considered baseline proficiency for participation in modern society. 2024 average: Math 472, Reading 481, Science 483. Correlates strongly with future earnings, GDP growth. Critics note: narrow test format, cultural bias, teaching-to-test effects, high-achieving country selection bias.
ISCED Education Levels
UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011) standardizes education levels globally: ISCED 0 - Early childhood (pre-primary, ages 0-5). ISCED 1 - Primary (typically 6 years, ages 6-11, focus: foundational literacy/numeracy). ISCED 2 - Lower secondary (typically 3 years, ages 12-14, subject-based teaching begins). ISCED 3 - Upper secondary (typically 3 years, ages 15-17, prepares for tertiary or vocational work). ISCED 4 - Post-secondary non-tertiary (vocational/technical programs). ISCED 5-8 - Tertiary (university: bachelor's, master's, PhD). Enables cross-country comparisons despite different national systems (USA 12 grades vs UK 13 years, different ages).
Learning Poverty Concept
Learning poverty (World Bank concept): percentage of 10-year-olds unable to read and understand age-appropriate text. More stringent than enrollment or literacy rates—measures actual learning outcomes, not just school attendance. 2026 estimate: 57% globally (420M children), 82% in low-income countries, 34% in middle-income, 9% in high-income. Driven by: inadequate teaching (62% of teachers lack subject qualification in Sub-Saharan Africa), large class sizes (50-80 students in some African schools), absenteeism (30% teacher absence in parts of South Asia), language barriers (instruction in non-mother-tongue), malnutrition (affects cognition). COVID worsened: 101M additional children below minimum proficiency (2020-2022).
Data Quality and Limitations
Enrollment data from school administrative records often overstated—schools receive funding per student, incentive to inflate. Ghost students estimated 10-20% in some developing countries. Literacy self-reported in many surveys (person asked "can you read?"), subject to overstatement. Direct testing expensive, only 43 countries have national learning assessments. Gender data aggregated—masks within-group disparities (urban vs rural girls, ethnic minorities, disabilities). Education quality not captured by enrollment—learning outcomes vary enormously. Private tutoring ("shadow education") widespread (85% of South Korean students, 70% Egyptian)—not reflected in spending data, exacerbates inequality. COVID disruption: 2020-2021 data collection hampered, many countries missed surveys. Estimates for 38 countries using regional proxies.