China News Service, Paris, October 9. As the International Day of the Girl Child approaches on October 11, UNESCO released a new report on the 8th stating that child marriage and early pregnancy still threaten the progress made in girls’ education.
The gender special report of the "Global Education Monitoring Report 2026" released by UNESCO stated that although the gender gap in global education has narrowed and the proportion of girls married before the age of 18 has also declined, in some regions, very few girls return to school after giving birth. This highlights the importance of ending child marriage, preventing early pregnancy and protecting young mothers’ right to continue their education.
Anani, Director-General of UNESCO, said that over the past few decades, significant progress has been made in gender equality in global education. Today, there are equal numbers of boys and girls enrolled in all levels of education, from pre-primary to secondary education. However, a large number of girls still face barriers to enrolling, completing their education and developing fully in school. Gender equality is one of UNESCO’s global priorities. We are working with governments and partners around the world to protect girls’ right to education and create more opportunities for everyone.
The report points out that countries around the world have made significant progress in gender equality in education. From 1990 to 2024, the gender gap in Nepal’s junior secondary education completion rate narrowed by 33 percentage points; from 2006 to 2022, the gender gap in Saudi Arabia’s higher education enrollment rate narrowed by three-quarters; in Cambodia, the completion rate of girls’ primary education was lower than in 1981 22 percentage points for boys, and will exceed 11 percentage points by 2024; the high school education completion rate of girls in Costa Rica is higher than that of boys, and this gender gap has narrowed from 12 percentage points in 2011 to 2017 to 7 percentage points in 2018 to 2024.
However, the average data masks the gender gap that exists in rural areas and poor households. In Angola, gender equality in education has been achieved among children from the richest families, but among the poorest families, only 30% of girls have completed high school education than boys. In India, gender equality has been achieved in urban areas, but only 59% of boys in rural areas have completed high school education.
The report shows that although the world has achieved gender parity in enrollment at all stages of education from pre-school to high school, early marriage and childbearing are still the main obstacles for girls to complete their education. Globally, the proportion of girls married before the age of 18 has dropped from 25% in 2000 to 18% in 2025, but this proportion is still 25% in Central and South Asia, and as high as 31% in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 6 million early-pregnancy girls and young mothers aged 10-19 in sub-Saharan Africa will be out of school in 2024, and less than 5% of pregnant or parenting girls in the region have returned to school.
Some countries have joined forces with UNESCO to take measures to promote the full realization of the right to education for pregnant and child-rearing girls. For example, many African countries have lifted regulations prohibiting girls and women who are married, pregnant, or have children from receiving education. The latest data shows that 90% of the Eastern and Southern African countries surveyed have implemented relevant policies to support pregnant and parenting teenagers to continue their studies or return to school.
UNESCO data shows that as of 2026, in terms of the protection of the right to education in national legal frameworks, 58% of countries prohibit discrimination based on biological sex or gender, but only 35% of countries clearly provide for the protection of pregnant and child-rearing girls.
UNESCO actively supports countries in promoting gender equality in education. Through the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future project, UNESCO works with ministries of education in 35 countries to help millions of young people make decisions about their lives and their futures. (over)
