UNESCO's 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, titled "Access and Equity: Countdown to 2030", says the world will not reach 95 per cent upper secondary completion until 2105 at the current pace. That is 75 years after the 2030 deadline set under Sustainable Development Goal 4, which promises inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

How big is the gap?

About 1.4 billion learners were in primary and secondary school in 2024, yet an estimated 273 million children and youth were out of school. That is roughly one in six.

The number has risen for the seventh year in a row, and progress in keeping children in school has stalled in nearly every region since 2015.

Only about two in three students globally complete secondary school. Completion has improved, with lower secondary rising from 60 to 78 per cent and upper secondary from 37 to 61 per cent, but the report says this is not fast enough.

Enrolment is not completion

Enrolment counts children who join school. Completion counts those who finish a full level, such as upper secondary.

A child can be enrolled and still drop out, so high enrolment figures can hide a weak finish. The report treats this difference as central.

Also Read: UNESCO report: Early marriage and teenage pregnancy still keep girls out of school

Why is progress so slow?

Conflict is one reason. More than one in six children live in conflict-affected areas, and many of them are missing out on school without being captured in official statistics.

Inequality is another. In low-income countries, children tend to start school late and repeat grades, which delays completion and widens gaps between rich and poor, and between boys and girls.

Is 2105 fixed?

It is the projection based on past average rates of expansion. A separate analysis of the same projections puts the date at 2081 if countries expand as fast as the top quarter of past performers, and 2062 if they match the very fastest. So policy can change the outcome.

The report also points to what works. Cash transfers tied to school attendance, for example, raise the likelihood of enrolment by 36 per cent.

What about India?

Coverage of the report says India's high enrolment masks a deeper problem with foundational learning. Getting children into classrooms is not the same as making sure they learn there.

With four years left to 2030, the report says the world is far off track. Its message is that the next push must go beyond getting children through the school gate. It must focus on keeping them there, especially girls, minorities and children in conflict zones, until they finish.