Worldwide, 90 million children have been left out of education because of armed conflict.

Omissions

• The precise documented figure is 85 million children completely out of school, not 90 million (ECW/UNICEF 2024 Global Estimates); 90 million is a rounding-up of roughly 5-6%.
• The 85 million figure covers children in all crisis settings (armed conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks), so the claim's 'due to armed conflict' framing is broader than the underlying statistic.
• The same report shows a larger context: 234 million school-age children living in crisis settings need urgent education support, of whom 85 million (37%) are completely out of school.
• Older UNICEF data (2017) reported 27 million children out of school in conflict zones; figures vary substantially depending on definition and year, which is why the MEP's single round number should be treated as an approximation.
• All corroborating sources (ECW January 2025, UN News July 2025, UN Security Council June 2026) predate the 2026-07-09 session, so the MEP could have known the underlying data.

Sources

• PrimaryUN Press — Security Council meeting coverage (SC/16308)Around the world, she said, 234 million children in conflict situations currently need educational support, with 85 million completely out of school.
• PrimaryEducation Cannot Wait (UN global fund for education in emergencies) — press releaseOut of the 234 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents identified in the report, 85 million (37%) are completely out of school.
• PrimaryUNICEF — Children and education in emergencies reportGlobally, 234 million school-aged children living in crisis settings require urgent support to access quality education, including 85 million completely out of school.
• SecondaryUN NewsOf the 234 million school-age children affected by conflict globally, 85 million children are completely out of school.
• SecondaryGlobal Partnership for Education — Education in crisis situations234 million crisis-affected children need education support, and 85 million among them are completely out of school.
• SecondarySave the Children UK — Conflict and EducationAround the world, 224 million children living in crisis-affected countries (including conflict) are out of school—nearly half of all out-of-school children.