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Global article

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Access to education is now seen as a fundamental right - in many cases, it's the government's duty to provide it.

But formal education is a very recent phenomenon. In the chart, we see the share of the adult population - those older than 15 - that has received some basic education and those who haven't.

In the early 1800s, fewer than 1 in 5 adults had some basic education. Education was a luxury; in all places, it was only available to a small elite.

But you can see that this share has grown dramatically, such that this ratio is now reversed. Less than 1 in 5 adults has not received any formal education.

This is reflected in literacy data, too: 200 years ago, very few could read and write. Now most adults have basic literacy skills.

International statistics often focus on attendance as the marker of educational progress.

However, being in school does not guarantee that a child receives high-quality education. In fact, in many countries, the data shows that children learn very little.

Just half - 48% - of the world's children can read with comprehension by the end of primary school. It's based on data collected over a 9-year period, with 2016 as the average year of collection.

This is shown in the chart, where we plot averages across countries with different income levels.¹

The situation in low-income countries is incredibly worrying, with 90% of children unable to read by that age.

This can be improved - even among high-income countries. The best-performing countries have rates as low as 2%. That's more than four times lower than the average across high-income countries.

Making sure that every child gets to go to school is essential. But the world also needs to focus on what children learn once they're in the classroom.
Read more:

There are still significant inequalities in the amount of education children get across the world.

This can be measured as the total number of years that children spend in school. However, researchers can also adjust for the quality of education to estimate how many years of quality learning they receive. This is done using an indicator called "learning-adjusted years of schooling".

On the map, you see vast differences across the world.

In many of the world's poorest countries, children receive less than three years of learning-adjusted schooling. In most rich countries, this is more than 10 years.

Across most countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa - where the largest share of children live - the average years of quality schooling are less than 7.

Globally, until recently, boys were more likely to attend school than girls. The world has focused on closing this gap to ensure every child gets the opportunity to go to school.

Today, these gender gaps have largely disappeared. In the chart, we see the difference in the global enrollment rates for primary, secondary, and tertiary (post-secondary) education. The share of children who complete primary school is also shown.

We see these lines converging over time, and recently they met: rates between boys and girls are the same.

For tertiary education, young women are now more likely than young men to be enrolled.

While the differences are small globally, there are some countries where the differences are still large: girls in Afghanistan, for example, are much less likely to go to school than boys.

Hannah Ritchie, Veronika Samborska, Natasha Ahuja, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser (2023) - "Global Education" Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/global-education' [Online Resource]

BibTeX citation

@article{owid-global-education, author = {Hannah Ritchie and Veronika Samborska and Natasha Ahuja and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser}, title = {Global Education}, journal = {Our World in Data}, year = {2023}, note = {https://ourworldindata.org/global-education} }

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See all our data, visualizations, and writing on global education.

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The Ministry of Education (MOE) is set to introduce more AI features into the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) to enhance students' learning experiences and complement teacher guidance.

Singapore Business Review, Published: 21st September 2023

Amongst measures announced at the MOE Schools Work Plan Seminar 2023, MOE will provide schools with more support and resources, including self-paced lessons hosted on the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS), to enhance the development of digital literacy and AI literacy in all students.

MOE Press Release, Published: 20th September 2023

At its annual Schools Work Plan Seminar, MOE announced measures to enhance 21st Century Competencies, harness technology to enhance learning experiences, and enrich learning environments through partnerships. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing also launched the "Transforming Education through Technology" Masterplan 2030, with aims to enhance digital literacy and technological skills with resources on Singapore Student Learning Space as well as more AI features to better customise students' learning experiences.

Straits Times, Published: 20th September 2023

More AI tools to be introduced in schools for more targeted support of individualised learning for pupils

Today Online, Published: 20th September 2023

Discipline Master Mr Poh Wei Beng reflects on how upstream measures can promote a safe learning environment at school, including the use of the Student Learning Space as a viable platform for the school to educate and address both emerging and perennial issues, including problems such as scams, vaping, and bullying.

Schoolbag, Published: 31st August 2023

"...Within the Student Learning Space (SLS), you have also seen how we have incorporated Speech Evaluation and Text-to-Speech functions for Mother Tongue languages. These functions will aid students in reading, word recognition, provide them with automated feedback for oral practices, and encourage self-directed learning..." Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing

Speech, Published: 26th August 2023

MOE is developing AI-enabled tools in the Student Learning Space (SLS) to provide greater customisation of learning and enhanced feedback for each child. These tools are being piloted for certain subjects and levels.

Parliamentary Replies, Published: 3rd July 2023

At the Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest 2023, educators were encouraged to make use of technology and its benefits for teaching and learning, and demonstrated several features on SLS such as auto-grading and a Learning Feedback Assistant, a tool that provides students with feedback on the incorrect use of grammar.

Straits Times, Published: 31st May 2023

From 2024, national exams for Normal (Technical) students will be conducted using laptops for one section of the basic mother tongue language exams. In curriculum, students can also ... access learning resources like audio and electronic texts, teaching animation and videos, as well as interactive resources on the Student Learning Space (SLS). Students can use SLS features such as text-to-speech and the e-dictionary to learn independently at their own time and pace.

Straits Times, Published: 4th April 2023

"...MOE is developing such adaptive tools within the SLS that students can use for self-directed learning. This includes an adaptive learning system for Mathematics, which will recommend a step-by-step pathway customised for each learner. We are also developing a Learning Feedback Assistant for English Language that provides students with personalised feedback on their writing. These systems encourage students to take ownership of their learning and complement teachers who provide more detailed guidance and instruction..." Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing

Speech, Published: 27th October 2022

Educator and scholar Dr. Pak Tee Ng lauds Singapore's school system, including its approach to online learning through the Student Learning Space to support self-directed learning.

ABC News, Published: 21st October 2022

At Naval Base Primary School, upper primary students learn many aspects of creating digital education games as part of their school's Applied Learning Program. These games are then uploaded on the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) platform for their juniors to play!

Schoolbag, Published: 18th October 2022

Mum shares what makes home-based learning on SLS enjoyable for her and her teenagers.

Straits Times, Published: 3rd September 2022

"...today, students can take greater ownership over their own learning through technology such as the Student Learning Space (SLS)" Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang

Speech, Published: 5th August 2022

"Our teaching fraternity must be able to pool and share their teaching resources across the system. Today, we have already started doing this with the Student Learning Space (SLS)." Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing

Speech, Published: 4th August 2022

"...with a wide range of learning resources that can be found in the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS), students are not only empowered to direct their own learning, but also encouraged to learn Science beyond the boundaries of the classroom." Mdm Anne Wong, Master Teacher for Primary Science, Eunos Primary School.

Schoolbag, Published: 28th July 2022

Pick different expressions, eyewear, or switch your costume, and just 'be yourself'!

Schoolbag, Published: 10th June 2022

"One example of how hosting applications on the cloud has helped was demonstrated when Covid-19 forced schools to move to home-based learning. The student learning space was hosted on a commercial cloud platform and enabled some 300,000 students to use the platform concurrently." GovTech chief executive Kok Ping Soon

Straits Times, Published: 10th June 2022

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The Ministry of Education (MOE) is set to introduce more AI features into the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) to enhance students' learning experiences and complement teacher guidance.