Global education funding to decline $3.2 billion USD by 2026.
Significant global education funding cuts could effect the education of millions of children, potentially pushing ‘6 million more students out of school in the coming year.’ UNICEF explains the steep fall of $3.2 billion USD by 2026, will be a 24% percent drop in funding from 2023, and that 80% of these cuts come from just three donor governments. UNICEF’s analysis shows that 278 million children will be out-of-school, and that one third of these children are in humanitarian settings. 1
- 28 countries are projected to lose at least a quarter of their education assistance (pre-primary, primary and secondary)
- West and Central Africa face the biggest impact with 1.9 million children at risk of losing out on education, followed by the Middle East and North Africa at 1.4 million children
- Primary education will be hit the hardest (of pre-primary, primary and secondary) with funding falling by a third
- Affected children are at risk of losing an estimated $164 billion in lifetime earnings
- For humanitarian centres, funding is expected to drop sharply and ‘in some cases, cutting the equivalent of at least 10 per cent of the national education budget.’
- Essential school feeding programmes could see funding slashed by more than half
- Support for girls’ education is also set to decline significantly 1
There are serious concerns about the impact on the cuts that will impact humanitarian settings that provide crucial support for traumatised children, alongside providing them with education opportunities. These cuts risk many of these education centres closing, ‘leaving children vulnerable to exploitation, child labour, and trafficking.’ 1
“Investing in children’s education is one of the best investments in the future – for everyone. Countries do better when their children are educated and healthy, and it contributes to a more stable and prosperous world.” – Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. 1
Read more about the cuts and the actions UNICEF is urging donor and partner countries to take.
References
- UNICEF (2025) ‘Global funding cuts could force 6 million more children out of school in the coming year – UNICEF’. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/global-funding-cuts-could-force-6-million-more-children-out-school-coming-year (Accessed: 11 September 2025)
