Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Education is the foundation on which every other development goal rests. A child who learns to read, reason and think critically carries that capacity into every part of adult life — the job they can hold, the decisions they can make, the health choices available to them. The 2030 Agenda’s commitment to inclusive, equitable, quality education for all was never just about school buildings; it was a commitment to human potential itself.
Figures from The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, UN DESA/UN Statistics Division.
Achieving quality education for all requires far more than getting children through the school gate. It means closing the gaps that keep girls, children with disabilities, and children in poverty from equal access (SDG 5, SDG 10), while also connecting what is taught to the skills economies actually need, so schooling translates into decent work and livelihoods rather than a credential with no destination (SDG 8).
The sharpest challenge is no longer just access but learning itself: millions of children are in classrooms yet not acquiring basic literacy and numeracy, a crisis compounded wherever conflict, displacement or fragile institutions disrupt schooling entirely (SDG 16). Getting children into school is necessary but no longer sufficient — the goal now hinges on whether they actually learn.
Progress on SDG 4 remains far off track, with modest gains overshadowed by a deepening learning crisis. In 2024, 273 million children and young people were still out of school worldwide, and the global out-of-school rate has edged down only marginally, from 17.4 per cent in 2015 to 16.8 per cent in 2024. Completion rates improved incrementally over the same period — primary completion rose from 85 to 88 per cent, lower secondary from 75 to 78 per cent, and upper secondary from 53 to 61 per cent — but sub-Saharan Africa lags far behind, where only 68 per cent complete primary school, 47 per cent lower secondary, and just 28 per cent upper secondary.
More troubling is the learning crisis beneath these enrolment figures: among children in comparable middle- and high-income countries, the share achieving minimum reading proficiency fell from 59 per cent in 2012 to 47 per cent in 2022, while minimum maths proficiency fell from 41 to 36 per cent over the same decade. Teacher quality compounds the problem, with one in five teachers worldwide lacking the minimum required qualifications — a measure of formal qualification, not a direct measure of teaching effectiveness.
Meanwhile, as internet access expands rapidly across most regions, the digital skills needed to use it safely and productively — from online safety to digital content creation — are not keeping pace. The full picture of official indicators is tracked by the UN Statistics Division in its annual SDG progress report.
The flagship annual tracker for SDG 4 is UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. The 2026 edition, Access and equity: countdown to 2030, was launched on 25 March 2026 and found that universal completion of secondary education remains off track for the 2030 deadline, with persistent gaps for the poorest and most marginalised learners.
The primary intergovernmental forum is the SDG4-Education2030 High-Level Steering Committee, convened by UNESCO, which periodically brings education ministers together at Global Education Meetings to take stock of progress. The most recent stocktake, Transforming Education Summit+4: System Transformation and Resilience for SDG 4, was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 10 July 2026, reviewing follow-through on commitments made at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit. SDG 4 progress is also reviewed annually at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) each July in New York.
These organisations hold the lead mandates on education policy, delivery and financing under SDG 4.
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
Gender — Global
Education can be a powerful force for shifting unequal gender norms, but schools do not transform them automatically. Embedding gender equality in education systems at scale – and defending that work against growing backlash – requires sustained political commitment, institutional reform, and public support
Climate — Global
As the green transition accelerates, millions of new jobs will emerge – but the skills needed to fill them are evolving even faster. Preparing children and young people for this future means rethinking education, work, and what “green” really demands of us
Health — Global
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of preventable health issues and premature deaths worldwide. Tackling them requires long-term thinking, including investing in adolescents – the next generation of parents, citizens, and leaders
Gender — Global
Denying women and girls access to technology is not a gap – it’s a systemic injustice with global consequences. Urgent action to expand digital access, education, and agency, especially in the world’s poorest countries, is essential to ensure that half the population can shape – not be shut out of – our digital future
Food systems and sustainable agriculture — Europe
Origin Green can help drive the shift towards healthier, more resilient food systems
Gender — Global
Work can liberate women and transform societies, but employment alone is not enough. As digital, green, and demographic transitions reshape labor markets, the challenge is to ensure that every woman has access to decent work, rights, security, and opportunity
Peace and security — Global
Political polarization is pushing many democracies into mutually hostile camps with conflicting views of reality. Restoring democratic health will require citizens and leaders to shift the focus from what divides society to what binds it
Gender — Global, Sub-Saharan Africa
Conflict and displacement are driving a largely overlooked crisis in maternal nutrition, with grave consequences for women, babies, and long-term development. Protecting mothers’ health is one of the most effective ways to save lives and advance progress across the SDGs in fragile settings
Economic development
Europe has not abandoned the Green Deal – its flagship strategy for climate neutrality and shared prosperity – but it risks hollowing it out. As implementation pressures mount, the question is not whether the vision survives on paper, but whether it can still deliver a fair, system-wide transformation aligned with the SDGs
Economic development
“Leave no one behind,” the central tenet of the SDGs, underlines the importance of tackling inequality as countries strive to achieve the Global Goals. Rampant inequality is connected to setbacks in other areas, from democratic backsliding and the weakening rule of law to sluggish action on climate
