UNESCO gender report says school enrolment gaps have closed but early marriage still blocks girls

8 October 2026

UNESCO released its Global Education Monitoring Report gender report on 8 October 2026, ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October.
The report finds that girls and boys are now enrolled in equal numbers from pre-primary through upper secondary education.
The share of girls married before the age of 18 fell from 25 per cent in 2000 to 18 per cent in 2025, but remains 25 per cent in Central and Southern Asia and 31 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.
About 6 million pregnant girls and young mothers aged 10 to 19 were out of school in sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, and fewer than 5 per cent of pregnant and parenting girls in the region return to school.
UNESCO data for 2026 show that 58 per cent of countries guarantee education without discrimination by sex or gender, while only 35 per cent explicitly protect the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls.
The Central African Republic, Tanzania, Cameroon, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Togo have ended bans on education for married, pregnant and parenting girls and women.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany said too many girls still face barriers to accessing, completing and thriving in school.
The report also records national gains, including Nepal closing a 33-point gap in lower secondary completion between 1990 and 2024.