UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report puts worldwide primary and secondary enrolment in 2024 at 1.4 billion students, an increase of 327 million since 2000. It also estimates the out-of-school population in 2024 at 273 million children and young people of school age. Both figures describe the same education landscape. 2026 GEM Report.
Expansion brings schooling to many more learners. The remaining exclusion requires a closer look at who still lacks access and why growth leaves them behind.
A growing system faces growing demand
Population change matters when interpreting the totals. If the number of school-age children rises, a system can enrol more pupils while the number outside school also grows. A rate describes the share excluded; a count helps indicate how many places and staff may be needed.
The report’s estimates show a global out-of-school rate of around 17% from 2015 onward and a growing out-of-school population from 2017 through 2024. This is one reason to read the count alongside the rate and use figures from a consistent data release. 2026 monitoring chapter.
For planners, the question becomes local. A national increase in school places gives little guidance about whether a child in a particular settlement can reach a school. Leaders need to examine the location of demand and the conditions families face when they try to enrol.
Consider a community with a primary school nearby and a secondary school several hours away. Adding primary places would leave the later barrier unresolved. Planning for access has to follow the route a learner takes through the system.
Examine where progression breaks down
Education plans should give greater attention to transitions. Completing one stage creates a new requirement for a place at the next. The practical demands can change, including the journey to school and the costs a household must cover.
A useful local review would examine the children expected to move into secondary education, then check how many receive a suitable place. Where pupils do not continue, schools and authorities should establish what prevents them from attending. That information gives a more precise basis for action than assuming every departure has the same cause.
Targets should make it possible to see progress among communities that remain excluded. A national average can improve while a small population experiences little change. Leaders should decide which groups need a separate view and make sure the underlying data can support it.
The next expansion plan should therefore identify the route from the existing school to the next stage of education. It should assign responsibility for investigating missing transitions and provide a budget for addressing the barriers that investigation reveals.