Progress in refugee education at risk from funding cuts, UNHCR warns

GENEVA - Cuts to humanitarian and development aid are putting hard-won recent progress in refugee education at risk, warns UNHCR in the tenth edition of its annual Refugee Education Report, published today.

"There have been tremendous efforts to increase enrolment at all levels for refugees," Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in the report's foreword. "But there is still so much more to do." Strikingly, the report shows a leap forward in tertiary enrolment to 9 per cent, up from 7 per cent last year and well on progress to meet the target of 15 per cent by 2030.

Even though more refugee children and youth than ever are getting an education, the continuing rise in the global refugee population is outstripping capacity to educate them and means that nearly half remain out of school. The current school-aged refugee population is estimated at 12.4 million and 46 per cent of them are estimated to be out of school - that means approximately 5.7 million refugee children are missing out on an education.

The report identifies several areas of concern, including the widening gap in access to education for refugees. A comparison of the enrolment rates among refugee children and children from low-income and fragile or conflict-affected populations in host countries, for example, shows that refugee children face greater barriers to access. This reflects systemic hurdles for refugees such as legal status limitations, unfamiliar curriculums, language barriers, lack of recognition of prior learning, and financial constraints. Education underpins protection and is a cornerstone of sustainable responses, with improved access to quality education helping to ensure self-reliance for this generation and the next.

The report also highlights some progress. Despite remaining disparities in the refugee Gender Parity Index, which measures gender equality in education, there have been modest increases in the primary enrollment rate for girls and progress towards gender parity at the secondary level. Still, parity in overall access to school for refugee girls and boys remains elusive, although some countries are moving closer to it.

Despite growing attention on the global learning crisis, data on the educational outcomes of forcibly displaced children remain very limited. This persistent data gap hampers the design of effective, inclusive education responses. To generate evidence on holistic learning outcomes among forcibly displaced children, UNHCR conducted two assessments in Mauritania and Mexico in 2024. The findings from both underscore the urgent need to strengthen foundational learning and ensure age-appropriate and inclusive interventions.

Ensuring access to quality education for refugee children and youth, alongside strong data and evidential approaches, drives improved learning outcomes. With this, communities can realize the benefits of enabling refugee students to gain an education, take ownership of their lives and contribute to sustainable development.

For more information, please contact:

• William Spindler, [email protected], +41 79 549 5998

2025 Refugee Education Report