UNICEF: 85 million children worldwide are not attending school

UNICEF notes that teachers are at the heart of quality education; however, the education sector has long been underfunded, and interest in the profession is declining.

Based on the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2024 report, only 31 percent of countries have effective systems for teachers’ professional development, significantly below the targeted 64 percent.

The report states that although the number of out-of-school children and youth (OOSC) worldwide remained at around 265 million over the past decade, recent estimates show that this figure rose to 272 million in 2023.

According to UNICEF, Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocated to education is expected to decrease by USD 3.2 billion compared to 2023, representing a 24 percent decline. As a result of this reduction, the number of out-of-school children could increase from 272 million to 278 million.

UNICEF estimates that 234 million children require support to access quality education—an increase of 35 million over the past three years.

Of these 234 million children, 85 million do not attend school at all. Among them:

• 52 % are girls;
• 17 % are refugees or internally displaced children;
• More than 20 % are children with disabilities.

The situation in the Gaza Strip is particularly severe. As of July 2025, 1,466,000 children are facing serious barriers to accessing education. By June 2025, 588 school buildings had been damaged, 538 of which (95.4 percent) are located in the Gaza Strip, while 50 are in the West Bank.

In Sudan, more than 17 million out of 19 million school-aged children are out of school. In Haiti, escalating gang violence and civil unrest have left more than 1.4 million children in urgent need of emergency education support.

“Investing in teachers is investing in the future,” UNICEF said, adding that it will continue its efforts to ensure that every teacher is supported, every classroom is inclusive, and every child everywhere has the opportunity to learn.

“On this World Teachers’ Day, we express our gratitude to all teachers and educators who continue to educate children even in the most challenging circumstances, for their courage and dedication,” said Nicola Graziano, President of UNICEF Italy.