UNESCO's 2026 GEM Gender Report Says Global Gender Parity in School Enrolment Was Achieved in 2024

22 October 2026National

UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report team released its 2026 Gender Report, titled 'Gender equity in access to education', around the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October. It finds that global gender parity in pre-primary, primary and secondary enrolment was achieved in 2024, a landmark, but that disparities persist in tertiary education and among disadvantaged groups. Between 2000 and 2024, the share of countries with fewer than nine girls enrolled per ten boys fell from 15% to 2% in primary education and from 18% to 5% in upper-secondary. The report urges targeted action for out-of-school girls in conflict-affected and poorer regions.

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UNESCO was founded in 1945, is headquartered in Paris and publishes the Global Education Monitoring Report, mandated by the Education 2030 Incheon Declaration | SDG 4 covers inclusive and equitable quality education while SDG 5 covers gender equality | The International Day of the Girl Child is observed on 11 October and was first marked in 2012

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