UNESCO said early marriage and motherhood are major obstacles to girls completing school.

Gender parity in school enrolment has improved worldwide, but child marriage and early pregnancy continue to prevent many girls from completing their education, according to UNESCO's 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Gender Report. The report also flagged a sharp rural-urban divide in India, where girls in rural areas remain far less likely than boys to complete upper secondary education.

As per the report, while gender gaps in education have narrowed and the share of girls married before 18 has decreased globally, very few girls return to school after giving birth in some regions, underscoring the need to end child marriage, prevent early pregnancies, and guarantee young mothers' right to continue their education.

According to UNESCO data, in 2026, 58 per cent of countries guarantee the right to education without discrimination based on sex or gender in their legal framework, but only 35 per cent explicitly protect the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls.

Globally, the share of girls married before 18 fell from 25 per cent in 2000 to 18 per cent in 2025. However, it remains at 25 per cent in Central and Southern Asia, and 31 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

UNESCO said early marriage and motherhood are major obstacles to girls completing school. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated six million pregnant girls and young mothers aged 10-19 years were out of school in 2024, and fewer than 5 per cent of pregnant and parenting girls in the region returned to education.

While 58 per cent of countries guarantee the right to education without discrimination based on sex or gender in their legal frameworks, only 35 per cent explicitly protect the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls, according to UNESCO.

Several countries, including Sierra Leone, Togo, Cameroon, Tanzania, the Central African Republic, and Sao Tome, and Principe have removed bans that prevented married, pregnant, and parenting girls and women from attending school.

The report cautioned that legal entitlement alone does not ensure that girls return to classrooms. Financial constraints, stigma, lack of childcare, unsafe travel, inadequate sanitation facilities, and absence of practical support can still force young mothers out of education.

The report further explained that a girl may be legally entitled to return to school after pregnancy, but unable to afford transport, find childcare, use suitable water and sanitation facilities, travel safely or overcome stigma at school.

Citing an example, the UNESCO report pointed out that in Burkina Faso, building girl-friendly schools raised enrolment by 19 percentage points overall, with larger gains for girls.

UNESCO found that India has achieved gender parity in urban areas, but only 59 girls completed upper secondary education for every 100 boys in rural areas. The finding suggested that overall national progress can conceal deep inequalities linked to location, household income, and social barriers.

The report also noted that average figures often hide gender gaps in rural areas and among poorer households, making targeted interventions essential rather than relying solely on broad enrolment statistics.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany said that although as many girls as boys are now enrolled from pre-primary through secondary education globally, too many girls still face barriers to accessing, completing, and thriving in school.

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