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Agenda 2030

Sustainable development goals
4

Quality Education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Key Targets
  • 1 By 2030, ensure all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education.
  • 2 Ensure all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development and pre-primary education.
  • 3 Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education.
  • 4 Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills for employment.
  • 5 Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to education for the vulnerable.
Key Facts
244 million children and youth are still out of school worldwide.
Two thirds of the world's 750 million illiterate adults are women.
617 million children and adolescents lack minimum proficiency in reading and maths.
Only 4% of students with disabilities in developing countries complete primary school.
Global Progress

School enrollment has reached near-universal levels in most regions — a genuine achievement. But the world faces a deep learning crisis: millions of enrolled children still cannot read or do basic arithmetic, and COVID-19 school closures erased over a decade of learning progress in many countries.

What We've Accomplished

  • Primary school net enrollment rose from 83% in 2000 to over 89% globally by 2022.
  • Adult literacy improved from 76% to 87% between 2000 and 2022.
  • Gender parity in primary education was largely achieved in most regions of the world.
  • South Korea transformed from 22% adult literacy in 1945 to near 100%, leading globally in tertiary education rates.
  • Over 180 countries now have some legal right to education enshrined in law.

2030 Outlook

Off Track

COVID-19 school closures erased an estimated 1.6 trillion student-days of instruction and pushed 244 million children out of school. More critically, 617 million children cannot read or do basic maths even after completing primary school. The UN projects 300 million children will still lack basic literacy by 2030 at the current pace. Closing the quality gap — not just the enrollment gap — is the defining education challenge of this decade.

Leading Nations

Finland Consistently ranked #1 globally for education quality, teacher training, and equitable student outcomes.
South Korea Transformed from widespread illiteracy in 1945 to near-100%; leads globally in tertiary education rates.
Canada Top PISA performer; highly inclusive and well-funded public education systems across provinces.
Singapore Highest PISA scores in maths and science; pioneering government-directed skills development framework.
Estonia Fastest-improving education system in Europe; early digital learning integration from kindergarten.