251 Million Children and Youth Are Still Out of School

According to UNESCO, an estimated 251 million children and young people worldwide remain out of school, limiting their opportunities to learn, grow, and participate fully in society.

While progress has been made over the past decades, access to education remains deeply unequal. Poverty, conflict, displacement, child marriage, disability, and gender discrimination continue to prevent millions of children from entering or completing school.

Girls are disproportionately affected in many regions. UNESCO reports that barriers such as early marriage, domestic responsibilities, and insecurity continue to keep millions of girls out of classrooms, particularly in low income countries.

The consequences extend far beyond education itself. Children who miss out on learning are more likely to experience poverty, poorer health outcomes, and fewer economic opportunities later in life. Communities also lose future teachers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

These numbers remind us that education is not simply about schools. It is about creating opportunity.

At the Yaghoubi Foundation, we believe that every child deserves the chance to learn, because investing in education today helps build stronger communities tomorrow.

Source: UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report.