Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
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
Data and monitoring — Global
As momentum on the SDGs stalls, AI’s promise of exponential growth could offer much-needed rapid acceleration across the 2030 Agenda. To harness AI effectively, we must ensure it serves those most in need, and that all countries – not just those in the Global North – can tap into its development benefits
Data and monitoring — Global
Deep-rooted digital divides within and between countries are currently increasing inequalities, with huge disparities in access to technology, infrastructure, and digital literacy. How can the proposed Global Digital Compact create a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape?
Gender — Global
Laws and treaties prohibiting gender discrimination have failed to alter the stark fact that, globally, women are still paid significantly less than men for the same work. Achieving gender equality in the workplace requires a transformation – of attitudes, economic structures, and opportunities – to enable women’s economic empowerment
Gender — Global
The international financial system faces complex challenges in advancing women’s well-being and opportunities in low-income countries. What is the World Bank doing to help empower women?
Climate — Global
A new film, premiering at COP28, brings together youth climate leaders from around the world in conversation with eminent international climate experts, calling for the integration of young people into national climate teams and global climate decision-making processes
Climate — Global
As energy systems decarbonize, ensuring a smooth transition to renewables will be critical for the economies and workers that currently depend on fossil-fuel-based generation. How can we move quickly while leaving no one behind?
Food systems and sustainable agriculture — Europe
Origin Green provides a range of services to raise sustainability and climate literacy in the Irish food and drinks sector
Economic development — Global
The world’s poorest countries have most to gain from tech like AI that can rapidly accelerate SDG action, but are often the least able to utilize such innovations. We need a global, cooperative effort to ensure that the technical tools and skills that humankind has developed are available to all
Cyberspace — Global
In this digital age, over two billion people worldwide still lack internet access. With progress on the SDGs way off course, we must ramp up access to, and application of, digital technologies – including AI – to get Agenda 2030 back on track
Health — Global
At current progress rates, 1.6 billion people will lack safely managed drinking water by 2030. Ramping up financial and political investment in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in the world’s poorest countries and in the face of climate change, is now essential for achieving the SDGs
