Marko Vešligaj· S&D

Confirmed

According to UNESCO data, 250 million children currently lack access and do not attend school, and over 600 million cannot read or calculate at a basic level.

Omissions

• The exact figure for out-of-school children in UNESCO's most recent Global Education Monitoring Report 2024 is 251 million, not exactly 250 million.
• The figure for children lacking basic proficiency (617 million) dates from 2017 data and may have been updated by 2026.
• The UNESCO data distinguishes between 'out-of-school children' (not attending school) and children in school who are not learning - the 600+ million figure includes both groups who are not achieving minimum proficiency.
• The MEP could not have known about any UNESCO publications released after February 11, 2026.

Sources

• PrimaryUNESCO - Global Education Monitoring Report 2024251 million children and youth still out of school worldwide as of 2024
• PrimaryUNESCO - Out-of-school children data250 million children out-of-school globally, an increase of 6 million since 2021
• PrimaryUNESCO - Education for All Global Monitoring Report617 million children and adolescents not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics
• SecondaryUN - Sustainable Development Goals BlogAbout 617 million children and adolescents worldwide are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics