GENEVA, 2 October 2026 — Nearly 5.8 million school-aged refugee children were out of school in 2025, according to UNHCR’s latest global education report, released on Friday.
The report, Pathways to the Future: Education, Opportunity and Self-Reliance, estimates that 44 per cent of the world’s 13.1 million school-aged refugee children were not enrolled in education.
Access narrows sharply as children grow older: 65 per cent were enrolled at primary level, but only 32 per cent were enrolled in secondary school. UNHCR said this steep decline limits protection, employment prospects and long-term self-reliance.
Higher education offered one positive signal. Refugee tertiary enrolment reached a record 11 per cent, with more than 450,000 refugees studying at that level, the highest total recorded by the agency.
Progress remains deeply unequal, however. In low-income and conflict-affected countries, tertiary enrolment among refugees was only about 2 per cent, showing how geography and funding continue to shape opportunity.
UNHCR warned that deep humanitarian and development financing cuts could reverse recent gains and close classrooms to millions more children. Girls face particular risks when access to secondary and higher education is interrupted.
The figures were checked against UNHCR’s official press release and the United Nations Office at Geneva’s same-day briefing record, which independently reproduces the report’s central findings and funding warning.
References
- UNHCR — 5.8 million refugee children still out of school, 2 October 2026
- United Nations Office at Geneva — UN Geneva Press Briefing, 2 October 2026
Featured photo: Mario Heller/Unsplash.