Over 130 million girls still out of school despite global progress: UNESCO

Nearly 30 years after the Beijing Declaration pledged to achieve full gender equality in education, millions of girls around the world remain excluded from classrooms, threatening decades of progress.

UNESCO’s latest data shows that 133 million girls are still out of school, underscoring the urgent need for renewed global action to ensure equal access to learning.

According to the report, while enrollment rates for girls have improved significantly since 1995, persistent regional inequalities and social barriers continue to prevent universal parity.

Over the past three decades, 91 million more girls have enrolled in primary school and 136 million more in secondary education.

Tertiary education has seen the sharpest increase, with the number of women students rising from 41 million to 139 million globally.

Regional trends, however, tell a mixed story. Central and Southern Asia have achieved near parity in secondary education, but sub-Saharan Africa still faces severe disparities.

In Oceania, girls’ enrollment has slipped behind boys, while in Latin America and the Caribbean, boys are now less likely than girls to complete secondary school.

Poverty and rural isolation continue to compound challenges in countries like Guinea and Mali, where few young women attend school at all.

Even where girls have entered classrooms, the quality and inclusivity of education remain uneven.

UNESCO found that sexuality education is mandatory in only about two-thirds of countries at the primary level and three-quarters at the secondary level.

In many regions, school textbooks still reinforce gender stereotypes, perpetuating outdated notions about women’s roles.

Women dominate the global teaching workforce but remain largely absent from decision-making roles.

Only 30% of higher education leadership positions worldwide are held by women, a figure that reflects structural barriers to equality within education systems themselves.

UNESCO has urged governments to adopt gender-transformative curricula, promote women’s leadership in education, expand access to comprehensive sexuality education, and strengthen protections against school-related violence.

The organization also emphasized the importance of investing in data to track progress and ensure accountability.

“Ensuring girls’ education is not just a matter of rights; it is a critical investment in the future of societies,” the report noted, adding that closing the gender gap would empower women, boost economies, and build more equitable communities.

The vision set forth by the Beijing Declaration, UNESCO said, is still within reach, but only if governments match their commitments with sustained action and resources.