UNESCO Releases September 2025 Global Education Data, Flags Persistent Inequalities

Date & Author: 2025‑09‑27 | By Sofia Alvarez, Global Education Analyst

Content:
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has published its September 2025 Global Education Data Update, offering refreshed indicators across more than 200 countries to track progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4. UNESCO+1

New datasets reveal trends in enrollment, completion rates, gender parity, teacher density, out-of-school children, and learning outcomes. While many countries show steady gains in primary and lower-secondary access, disparities remain wide—especially in rural, low-income, and conflict‑affected regions. UNESCO+1

One striking finding: despite progress, global connectivity and digital readiness are uneven. Only about 40% of primary schools worldwide have reliable internet, and secondary school connectivity rises to 65%, but this masks large regional gaps. UNESCO+2UNESCO UIS+2 UNESCO warns that without targeted investment, the digital divide may exacerbate learning losses and exclusion.

Another concern: learning outcomes have not improved in many regions despite higher enrollment, pointing to systemic challenges in teaching quality, assessment, and resource allocation. UIS emphasizes that policymakers must move beyond access metrics and focus more on equitable, quality learning.

To support data‑driven policy, UNESCO is also releasing dashboards and country profiles, with disaggregated indicators by gender, rural/urban, and socioeconomic status. Governments are encouraged to use the data to target interventions, monitor education recovery post‑pandemic, and align policies with NEP 2020‑style equity goals.

Global education observers view this release as timely. As countries revise curricula, invest in teacher training, or roll out hybrid learning models, robust data is crucial. But the persistence of inequalities underscores that access alone is insufficient—quality and inclusion must remain central pillars of progress.

Source Credit: UNESCO UIS — UIS launches September 2025 global education data release