617 million children and adolescents not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and math

New data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) shows that 617 million children and adolescents globally are not reaching minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. This signals a 'learning crisis' that could jeopardize progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This includes over 387 million primary school-aged children (56%) and 230 million lower secondary school-aged adolescents (61%) who will not achieve these critical learning benchmarks.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the largest number of children and adolescents (202 million) not learning fundamental subjects, with nearly nine out of ten children aged 6 to 14 failing to meet minimum proficiency levels. Central and Southern Asia follow with 81% (241 million) of children not learning. A particularly alarming finding is that two-thirds of the children not learning are actually enrolled in school; 262 million primary-aged children and 137 million lower secondary-aged adolescents in classrooms are unable to read proficiently.

The new data points to three main problems: lack of access to education for out-of-school children, failure to retain students and keep them on track, and issues with the quality of education provided in classrooms. Silvia Montoya, Director of UIS, describes these figures as a 'wake-up call' for greater investment in education quality. This crisis poses a significant threat to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which aims for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. The data represents the first assessment of progress towards SDG target 4.1, emphasizing relevant and effective learning outcomes.