The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) recently released a report called “World Education Statistics 2024”. It shows a worrying trend in global education. The number of kids not in school has gone up by 6 million since 2021. Now, almost 250 million children and youth worldwide are out of school1.
This big number highlights a big problem. We need to make sure everyone can go to school, especially in places that are hard to reach.
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, was started in 1945. It aims to help countries work together in education, science, and culture. The UIS is key in giving out education stats that help make policies. Let’s look at what the report says about progress and the big hurdles to literacy and fair education for all.
Key Takeaways
- The global number of out-of-school children has risen by 6 million since 2021, totaling almost 250 million.
- Inequality in access, participation, and educational outcomes particularly affects children and youth in conflict-affected areas.
- Children in rural communities face challenges due to long distances to schools and teacher shortages.
- Measures for inclusive and accessible learning are lacking for cultural minorities and individuals with learning difficulties and disabilities.
- Africa is significantly off track in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, with only 6% of measurable targets currently on track.
Current State of Global Literacy: 2024 Overview
Global literacy has grown a lot in the last 100 years. Now, less than 1 in 10 people are illiterate worldwide2. But, big challenges still exist. Nearly 250 million kids and teens aged 6 to 18 are not in school, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa2.
Even with more access to education, only half of students can read and do math well. This shows we need to improve learning results more.
Understanding the 250 Million Out-of-School Crisis
This crisis is very worrying. It means millions of young people lack basic skills and knowledge. In rich countries, almost everyone can read and write, but in poor countries, it’s much lower3.
We must focus on making education accessible to everyone. This is key to fair literacy for all.
Regional Disparities in Education Access
Literacy rates differ a lot around the world. In some African countries, less than a third of adults can read2. The U.S. ranks 36th in literacy, with 79% of adults able to read in 20243.
These differences highlight the need for special efforts. We must tackle barriers to education to help everyone.
Impact of Recent Global Events
The COVID-19 pandemic and other crises have made education harder. They have widened gaps in learning. We must now invest in literacy programs.
It’s important to make sure all kids and teens can learn the skills they need for today’s world.
Statistics on Global Literacy Progress Challenges
The world has made big strides in literacy, but big challenges still exist. The “World Education Statistics 2024” report shows a huge jump from 10% in 1800 to 87% of adults reading and writing today4. Yet, there are still big gaps in education, especially for women and in some areas45.
In rich countries, almost everyone can read and write, like in the UK6. But in poorer areas, like parts of Africa, literacy is much lower4. About 750 million adults can’t read or write, with most being women45.
New kinds of literacy, like digital and media literacy, are now key4. Schools need to teach these skills, and teachers must keep learning4.
| Country | Literacy Rate |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 99% |
| Mali | 35% |
| South Sudan | 35% |
| Afghanistan | 37% |
Even with progress, there’s still a long way to go456. We need better literacy development strategies, literacy data analysis, and literacy assessment methods to help4.
Educational Achievement Gaps in Developing Nations
In the developing world, big gaps exist in education. Sub-Saharan Africa has big challenges to make sure all kids get to learn. In low-income countries, about 66% of female primary school students complete primary school, compared to around 71% of male primary school students.7 The gender gap in secondary completion rates in low-income countries has consistently decreased since 2014, but only 38% of girls complete lower secondary school, in contrast to 43% of boys.7
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Education Landscape
The education in Sub-Saharan Africa shows big differences. An estimated 244 million children between the ages of 6 and 18 were out of school globally in 2021, with persistent gaps in school enrollment at the country level.7 Many countries have less than 30% of youth finish upper secondary education. This shows big challenges in getting quality education to all.
Rural vs Urban Educational Disparities
The gap between rural and urban areas makes education harder. Kids in rural areas face more problems getting to school and learning well. Poverty is a big problem for girls’ education, especially in rural areas.7
Completion Rates Analysis
More than half of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple story by the end of primary school, leading to a global learning crisis.7 It’s scary that boys globally are 3.7 percentage points more learning-poor than girls,7 and in conflict-affected countries, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys.7 We need to work hard to make sure all kids learn well.
We must work together to solve the big problems in education. Things like cash transfers that help girls stay in school,7 can make a big difference. Also, making sure kids can read and write well after the pandemic is very important.7
Digital Literacy and Technology Integration
Digital skills are key for jobs, but only 40% of people worldwide are digitally literate8. Young people are getting better at using tech, but many still lack basic skills, especially in poor areas8. To help, we need better training and education in ICT.
Technology has changed how we learn to read and write. In 1997, there were 24 students for every computer. By 2017, many schools had one computer for every student8. By March 2021, most schools gave every student a device, making learning easier.
But, there are still barriers to digital literacy. Some adults can’t use digital tools at all, while others are just starting to learn8. Also, tech tools often don’t work well for everyone, like women or people with accents8.
To fix these problems, we need to teach more about tech. We should learn basic skills, advanced ones, and how to be creative with technology9. Khan Academy and Code.org help with this, and Google Classroom makes teaching easier9.
It’s also important to have more women and diverse students in tech fields. When they do, they are more likely to succeed8. As jobs change, we must make sure everyone has access to tech education.
Gender Disparities in Global Education
Even though more kids are going to school, girls still face big challenges in education. In most countries, girls and boys start school equally. But, girls have a harder time finishing school as they get older. It’s important to fix these gaps to help everyone learn and grow together.
Girls’ Education in Developing Regions
In poor countries, more boys than girls finish primary school. At lower secondary school, the gap gets even bigger. Girls are 2.5 times more likely to miss out on school in places hit by war or conflict10.
Success Stories and Interventions
But, there are bright spots where girls’ education is improving. Programs that tackle cultural issues and make schools safe and welcoming have worked well. They help girls learn and bridge the literacy gap. 
Cultural Barriers and Solutions
Cultural norms and gender roles hold girls back in many places. We need to work together to change these norms. This means talking to communities, fighting for fair policies, and supporting girls and their families. By doing this, we can help girls reach their full potential and create a fairer world1011.
Vocational and Technical Education Trends
Vocational education is not as popular worldwide, with only 10% of youth aged 15 to 24 in these programs12. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more students are joining vocational education, going from 5% in 2010 to 12% in 202112. This shows we need more types of education after high school to fit the changing job market12.
Schools are starting to introduce vocational education and technical education to students earlier12. New tools like augmented reality and online platforms help teach these subjects without needing lots of lab time12.
But, schools struggle to find and keep vocational education and technical education teachers12. Many teachers leave for better-paying jobs in industry12. Almost three out of four employers say there’s a big gap between the skills workers have and what employers need12.
To fix these problems, groups like the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) want more money for vocational education12. They want a $400 million increase in grants for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act12. This will help improve vocational education and technical education programs and get more students ready for the job market12.
| Metric | Percentage |
|---|---|
| CTE concentrators receiving associate’s degree as highest postsecondary degree | 14%13 |
| CTE concentrators receiving bachelor’s or higher degree as highest postsecondary degree | 48%13 |
| Public schools reporting difficulty filling CTE teaching positions | 31%13 |
| CTE teachers with less than a bachelor’s degree as highest degree | 13%13 |
In the 20th century, public education grew a lot, with more schools and students14. Schools started teaching more subjects, like sciences and arts14. But, vocational education is still not used enough, and we need to invest more in it to close the skills gap12.
Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Statistics
Improving adult literacy is key to empowering people and driving growth. In the U.S., about 32 million adults face literacy challenges, costing the country $300 billion a year15. This problem is not just in the U.S., with 3 out of 5 inmates in American prisons also facing reading issues15.
Global Adult Literacy Rates
The need for adult education programs is clear worldwide. In South Africa, the jobless rate for black Africans is much higher than for Whites. Only 6.7% of adults with higher education are jobless16. This shows how important adult education is for fairness and jobs.
Continuing Education Programs
Lifelong learning efforts are growing. The 2005 High-Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning showed its power17. In South Africa, more adults are taking part in training, showing a big demand for learning16.
Success Metrics and Challenges
Despite progress, big challenges remain. In the U.S., many students struggle with reading, showing the need for better education15. Also, many low-income families can’t afford books, making the literacy gap worse15. We must tackle these issues to empower people and create a fairer world.
| Key Statistics | Data |
|---|---|
| Adult Literacy Rates in the U.S. | Approximately 32 million adults struggle with low literacy skills15 |
| Literacy Rates among U.S. Inmates | 3 out of 5 inmates in U.S. prisons struggle with reading15 |
| Reading Proficiency in U.S. Students | |
| Access to Books in Low-Income U.S. Families | Over 60% of low-income families cannot afford to have books in their homes15 |
| Unemployment and Literacy in South Africa | |
| Adult Education and Training in South Africa |
By focusing on adult literacy and lifelong learning, we can empower people. This will help us grow together and build a fairer world for everyone151716.
Indigenous and Minority Language Education
Reaching global literacy goals is hard, especially for indigenous and minority groups. They face big barriers in getting good education that keeps their culture and languages alive. Studies in Chiapanec show that 70% speak an indigenous language, but 55.24% are illiterate. This is much higher than the state’s 13.6%18.
Poverty, being far from cities, and speaking different languages make things worse. Only 43% of rural indigenous people in Mexico finish primary school. Just 5% make it to secondary school, and only 0.7% go to university18. To keep cultures alive and improve literacy, new ways to teach indigenous languages are being tried.
- Bilingual-Intercultural Education in Intercultural Universities is seen as a step towards providing indigenous communities access to education that values their cultural background18.
- Indigenous-centered education programs have shown they help indigenous students succeed. They keep their culture and language alive while helping them grow18.
The Global Heritage Language Think Tank offers advice for teaching heritage languages worldwide. It says everyone has the right to learn their heritage language, as UNESCO does19. Helping linguistic minorities and improving literacy can make education fairer for everyone.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Illiteracy rate in Chiapanec localities where 70% or more of the population speak an indigenous language | 55.24%18 |
| Average illiteracy rate in the state of Chiapas | 13.6%18 |
| Percentage of rural indigenous people in Mexico who complete primary school | 43%18 |
| Percentage of rural indigenous people in Mexico who complete secondary school | 5%18 |
| Percentage of rural indigenous people in Mexico who attend university | 0.7%18 |
Progress has been made in valuing indigenous languages and improving literacy. But, there’s still a lot to do to make sure everyone gets fair education. The Global Call to Action for Heritage Language Education wants to change how we teach languages and make policies19.
Economic Impact of Literacy Rates
Literacy is key to economic growth. Studies show that better literacy leads to more jobs and better living standards20. In 2018, the world’s literacy rate was 86.3%, up from 83.2% in 2000. Yet, about 750 million adults still can’t read or write20.
Correlation with Employment
Low literacy costs the U.S. up to $2.2 trillion each year21. In the U.S., 54% of adults, or 130 million, read at a sixth-grade level or lower. If all adults could read at this level, the U.S. could gain $2.2 trillion annually21.
Adults who read at a sixth-grade level make about $63,000 a year. Those reading at a third to fifth-grade level make $48,000. And those with lower skills make just $34,00021.
Development Indicators
Literacy’s impact isn’t just in the U.S. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas could see their GDP grow by 10% if adult literacy improved21. Worldwide, the link between literacy and poverty is clear. In America, 43% of adults with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty, compared to 4% at the highest level22.
Moreover, 3 out of 4 people on food stamps have low literacy skills. And 85% of kids in juvenile court can’t read well22.
Improving literacy is vital for economic growth. We need better education, equal access, and more training212022.
| Literacy Level | Poverty Rate | Average Annual Income |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 43% | $34,000 |
| Level 3-5 | 4% | $63,000 |
UNESCO’s Role in Global Literacy
UNESCO is a key player in fighting illiteracy worldwide. It focuses on UNESCO literacy initiatives, global literacy programs, and international education collaboration23.
UNESCO has helped boost adult literacy rates. In 1950, about 56% of adults could read. By 2020, this number jumped to over 86%24. The number of illiterate adults also dropped, from 881 million in 1990 to 773 million in 201924.
UNESCO has made a big difference for girls’ education. The gender parity index for primary education rose from 0.92 in 2000 to 0.99 in 2020. More girls are in school now, with a 75 million increase between 1995 and 201824.
UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA) program has also made progress. Primary school enrollment rates went up from 83% in 2000 to 91% in 2020. The number of out-of-school children of primary school age fell from 108 million in 1999 to 58 million in 201924.
UNESCO doesn’t just focus on primary education. It also supports Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs. By 2019, about 13% of upper secondary students were in TVET programs globally24.
Through its Institute for Statistics (UIS), UNESCO tracks education trends. It gives important data to help improve UNESCO literacy initiatives, global literacy programs, and international education collaboration23.
Future Projections and Targets
Looking ahead to 2030, the world is working hard to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4). This goal is to make sure everyone gets quality education, no matter who they are. It aims to fix the big problems of reading skills and getting to school25.
2030 Education Goals
The world is slowly getting closer to these 2030 goals. More kids are finishing primary school, going from 85% to 88% between 2015 and 2023. Secondary school completion rates have also gone up, to 78% and 59% for lower and upper levels25.
But, there’s still a big gap in who gets to go to school. This gap is huge in some areas and for certain groups26.
Strategic Implementation Plans
To reach these goals, plans are being made and put into action. Governments, groups, and organizations are working together. They’re tackling issues like language, gender, and helping those who have been moved from their homes2526.
They’re also working on better ways to track how well schools are doing. This is key to finding and fixing problems in education25.
Even with progress, there’s still a lot to do. But, everyone is committed to making sure everyone gets a good education. We believe we can reach these goals, making the world a better and more educated place2526.
Funding and Resource Allocation
To tackle the global literacy crisis, we need more money for education27. So far, 86 countries have started efforts with about $16.5 billion in funding27. But, we still face big problems with not enough money and poor use of resources.
One big problem is not enough money for schools28. In fact, 57% of countries spend less than 4% of their budgets on adult literacy28. This means fewer chances for quality education, especially for those who need it most. We must focus on funding education, solving literacy funding issues, and finding new ways to pay for it.
We also need to make sure resources are used well and fairly27. The current way of measuring education is flawed, leaving out important skills like math and problem-solving27. By using better data and methods, we can make our education investments work better and improve literacy worldwide.
Source Links
- PDF – https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2024/10/2024 GEM background document 3 Oct_2.pdf
- Literacy – https://ourworldindata.org/literacy
- Literacy Statistics 2024- 2025 (Where we are now) – https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now
- Global literacy amid digital world, progress and new frontiers – https://www.diplomaticourier.com/posts/global-literacy-amid-digital-world-progress-new-frontiers
- US Literacy Statistics – https://www.brighterstridesaba.com/blog/us-literacy-statistics
- Exploring US Literacy Statistics – https://www.sparxservices.org/blog/us-literacy-statistics
- a tale of old and new gender gaps – https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/stories/tracing-global-trends-in-education.html
- Digital Divide Statistics & How They Affect Students | Learning.com – https://www.learning.com/blog/digital-divide-statistics/
- Digital literacy: Preparing students for a tech-savvy future – https://onlineprograms.education.uiowa.edu/blog/digital-literacy-preparing-students-for-a-tech-savvy-future
- Tracing global trends in education | World Bank Gender Data Portal – https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/data-stories/a-tale-of-old-and-new-gender-gaps
- Home – https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/34680dd5-en/1/3/1/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/34680dd5-en&_csp_=84042831e2796e3dbd529f3148909734&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book
- Trends and challenges impacting CTE in 2024–and beyond – https://www.ecampusnews.com/teaching-learning/2024/01/30/trends-challenges-impacting-cte-2024/
- Career and Technical Education in the United States – https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tob
- Education – Global Trends, Access, Equity | Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Global-trends-in-education
- U.S. Literacy Statistics – https://www.thetreetop.com/statistics/us-literacy-statistics
- PDF – https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/the-urgency-of-lifelong-learning-in-south-africa_49ccabb1-en.pdf?itemId=/content/component/49ccabb1-en&mimeType=pdf
- High-Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning – https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/information-literacy/publications/high-level-colloquium-2005.pdf
- Lack of Access to Quality Education for Rural Indigenous Communities in Chiapas, Mexico – Ballard Brief – https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/lack-of-access-to-quality-education-for-rural-indigenous-communities-in-chiapas-mxico
- The Global Call to Action for Heritage Language Education – https://menntavisindastofnun.hi.is/is/global-call-hle
- Literacy rate: Absolute Rate Matters: Exploring Global Literacy Trends – FasterCapital – https://fastercapital.com/content/Literacy-rate–Absolute-Rate-Matters–Exploring-Global-Literacy-Trends.html
- Literacy & the Economy – Literacy Texas – https://www.literacytexas.org/why-literacy/literacy-economy/
- 17 Devastating Consequences of Illiteracy: A Data-Driven Analysis – The Weary Educator – https://thewearyeducator.com/2024/03/18/consequences-of-illiteracy/
- UNESCO – (Global Studies) – Vocab, Definition, Explanations | Fiveable – https://fiveable.me/key-terms/hs-global-studies/unesco
- Role of UNESCO in Education: Agenda, Learning, Crisis, Research – https://ngofeed.com/blog/role-of-unesco-in-education/
- PDF – https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2024/09/ild-2024-cn-en.pdf
- GOAL OF THE MONTH – Goal 4 – Quality Education – United Nations Sustainable Development – https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/goal-of-the-month-goal-4-quality-education/
- The Limitations of Foundational Literacy Metrics – NORRAG – – https://www.norrag.org/the-limitations-of-foundational-literacy-metrics/
- Call for Stronger Literacy Funding at the Global Education Meeting 2024 – https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/articles/call-stronger-literacy-funding-global-education-meeting-2024
