The need for accurate, current and comparable data on education has never been more urgent, with the prospects of reaching Sustainable Development Goal 4 –  a quality education for all by 2030 – far from certain.

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), about 258 million children, adolescents and youth are out of school. The data confirm recent projections showing that, without a shift from ‟business as usual”, one in every six children aged 6 to 17 will still be out of school in 2030 and only six out of ten youth will complete secondary education. 

Without a rapid shift from “business as usual”, one in six children aged 6-17 will still be out of school in 2030 while just six in ten youth will be completing secondary education. Moreover, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of education on offer. Worldwide 55% of children and adolescents of lower secondary school age are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and 60% are reaching these levels in math, according to estimates from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).

The 2020 Survey of Formal Education covers key data for the school year ending in 2019 required for the monitoring of international and national education goals.

Following the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is working closely with Member States and partners to develop new indicators, statistical approaches and monitoring tools to better assess progress towards the SDG 4 education targets while making every effort to minimize the reporting burden on countries.

A new database launched today by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) captures the severe educational challenges faced by people with disabilities. The database confirms that people with disabilities are less likely to ever go to school, more likely to be out of school and have fewer years of education than people without disabilities.

To mark World Teachers Day, the UIS has released a new edition of its eAtlas of Teachers, which presents a wide range of data and indicators based on results of the Institute’s annual education survey involving more than 200 countries and territories. Available in English, French and Spanish, the eAtlas lets readers explore the working conditions and training of teachers at the global, regional and country levels.  

Research and experimental development (R&D) plays a pivotal role in driving a country’s economic growth and hence is instrumental in alleviating poverty. As part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), countries have pledged to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”.