Education opens the door to opportunity, health, and a better life. Yet for hundreds of millions of children, that door remains closed. In 2025, UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report estimated that 272 million children and young people are out of school — over 21 million more than previously estimated.
That includes 78 million children of primary school age, 64 million of lower secondary age, and 130 million of upper secondary age. Part of the increase reflects better data, but part reflects real setbacks, including the ban on girls attending secondary school in Afghanistan. UNESCO warns that countries are off track by 75 million relative to their own national targets, and that conflict likely causes the true number to be even higher.
Children Out of School (UNESCO, 2025):
- Total: 272 million children and young people are out of school.
- Primary age: 78 million (11% of the age group).
- Lower secondary: 64 million (15%).
- Upper secondary: 130 million (31%).
- Off track: Countries are 75 million short of their own national targets.
Barriers No Policy Has Removed
Poverty, conflict, discrimination against girls, child labour, and lack of teachers all keep children from learning. Many schools in crisis zones have been destroyed or turned into shelters. And even where children attend school, many leave without basic reading and math skills. Governments and aid agencies have made great efforts, yet the world will not meet its goal of education for every child by 2030.
— Proverbs 4:7
The Bible places a high value on knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. It encourages everyone, young and old, to keep learning. Yet in today's world, that opportunity is denied to millions.
The Greatest Education Program in History
The Bible foretells a time when all of humanity will be taught by the wisest Teacher of all — God himself — through the Kingdom he has established.
— Isaiah 54:13
This education will not be limited by poverty, gender, or geography. It will teach people not only practical skills but also how to live in peace and love one another. And it will continue without end.
A World Full of Knowledge
The Bible describes a global society in which knowledge of God and his ways fills the earth as completely as water fills the oceans.
— Isaiah 11:9
Teachers and educators around the world are doing heroic work, often with very little support. But the rising number of children out of school shows the limits of human systems. God's Kingdom will ensure that every child — and every adult — has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive forever.