The number of children and young people out of school worldwide has increased to 273 million, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
In its 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report, UNESCO revealed that the figure has risen for the seventh consecutive year.
The report indicates that one in six school-age children is currently excluded from education, while only two in three complete secondary school.
Progress in improving access to education has slowed in most regions since 2015, largely due to conflict and rapid population growth.
“Progress in keeping children in school has slowed across almost every region,” the report notes, highlighting sub-Saharan Africa as one of the most affected areas.
In conflict-affected regions, the situation is even more severe, with millions of out-of-school children not fully captured in official data.
Despite these challenges, UNESCO pointed to notable achievements over the past two decades.
Global school enrolment has increased significantly, with “more than 25 additional children accessing school every minute” since 2000.
The report also acknowledged that some countries have made substantial progress in reducing out-of-school rates and expanding access to education at all levels.
However, UNESCO warned that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem.
It called for tailored strategies and sustained investment to ensure that every child has access to education.