SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

4.1 – The percentage of young people completing upper secondary school increased from 53 per cent in 2015 to 60 per cent in 2024, although progress was slower than in the preceding nine-year period. Many countries are moving backwards in terms of learning outcomes at the end of lower secondary school, but large data gaps, especially in early grades, prevent an assessment of broader trends in learning outcomes.

4.2 – Between 2015 and 2024, data from 84 countries indicated that around two thirds of young children were developmentally on track and that there were no significant differences by sex.

4.3 – In 2023, nearly 75 per cent of children worldwide participated in organized learning one year before reaching the official entry age for primary education. That participation rate has remained unchanged since before the pandemic. Currently, only 103 countries guarantee free pre-primary education, and 66 countries mandate at least one year of pre-primary education.

4.4 – Globally, one sixth of individuals between the ages of 15 and 64 recently participated in formal and non-formal education and training. Participation rates were over half for young people between the ages of 15 and 24, but were much lower for older adults, averaging 3 per cent for those in the 25–54 age range.

4.5 – Socioeconomic disparities are evident in many education indicators. Disparities based on location and household wealth are even more pronounced, showing that rural and poorer families experience greater disadvantages. These gaps tend to widen at higher education levels.

4.6 – Some 754 million adults worldwide remained illiterate in 2024, however, with women accounting for 63 per cent of the total. Between 2014 and 2024, the global adult literacy rate (for persons aged 15 and older) increased from 85 to 88 per cent, while the youth literacy rate (for the 15–24 age range) rose from 91 to 93 per cent.

4.A – Over a fifth of primary schools globally do not have access to basic services, such as electricity, drinking water and basic sanitation facilities. The availability of other facilities, such as computers and the Internet for pedagogical purposes, as well as disability-adapted infrastructure, is lower, as half of primary schools lack access.

4.C – In 2023, 15 per cent of teachers worldwide still did not meet their country’s national minimum qualification standards, which means that there had been no improvement since 2015. The situation varied significantly across regions. In sub-Saharan Africa, around two in five teachers did not meet national qualification requirements.