Global education is on the brink of a deepening crisis, with steep funding cuts projected to push 6 million more children out of school by the end of 2026, UNICEF warned in a new analysis.
Official Development Assistance for education is expected to drop by US$3.2 billion – a 24 percent decline from 2023 levels. Nearly 80 percent of the cuts come from just three donor governments. The decline would raise the global number of out-of-school children from 272 million to 278 million, the equivalent of closing every primary school in Germany and Italy combined.
“Every dollar cut from education is not just a budgetary decision, it’s a child’s future hanging in the balance,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Regions Facing the Sharpest Impact
- West and Central Africa: 1.9 million children at risk of losing access to schooling.
- Middle East and North Africa: 1.4 million more children could be left out of classrooms.
- Côte d’Ivoire and Mali: enrolment could decline by 340,000 and 180,000 students respectively – around 4 percent of their school populations.
Primary education is projected to suffer the most, with global funding set to fall by a third. This could cost affected children an estimated US$164 billion in lifetime earnings, deepening the global learning crisis.
Humanitarian Education at Risk
In humanitarian settings, education often serves as a lifeline, linking children to health, nutrition, and protection. But in some cases, cuts could strip away the equivalent of 10 percent of national education budgets.
- In the Rohingya refugee response, 350,000 children risk losing permanent access to basic education.
- School feeding programmes – sometimes the only nutritious meal a child receives daily – could see funding halved.
- Support for girls’ education is also set for steep reductions.
Cuts will also undermine teacher training, government planning, and monitoring of learning outcomes, with at least 290 million students projected to experience a decline in education quality.
UNICEF’s Call to Action
UNICEF urges governments and partners to:
- Direct at least 50 percent of education assistance to least developed countries.
- Safeguard humanitarian education funding as a lifesaving intervention.
- Prioritize foundational learning in early childhood and primary education.
- Simplify financing systems in line with the UN80 Initiative.
- Expand innovative financing without replacing core funding.
“Investing in children’s education is one of the best investments in the future – for everyone,” said Russell. “Countries do better when their children are educated and healthy, and it contributes to a more stable and prosperous world.”