New UIS data browser

The UIS has launched a new UIS Data Browser alongside its September 2024 data release, providing a one-stop-shop resource for policymakers, researchers, and developers interested in internationally comparable data on education, science, and culture.

With a revamped interface, the new UIS data browser allows users to easily view and download customized datasets, explore metadata and documentation more effectively, and enjoy enhanced visualization tools. Users can also filter indicators by country or region, create charts to track trends over time, and share insights on social media.

API trainings

The UIS is offering two training sessions on data extraction from the new UIS browser using the web Application Programming Interface (API):

  • 18 September 2024 - 8am - 9am EDT / 2pm - 3pm CEST (register)
  • 24 September 2024 - 11am - 12pm EDT / 5pm - 6pm CEST (register)

The sessions will provide participants with potential use cases, highlighting the advantages of using APIs over the UIS Bulk Data Download Service (BDDS); provide a guided tour of API endpoints; and demonstrate how users can read data using languages such as R, as well as integrate API calls into web applications.

For more information, please read the Concept note and visit the API trainings webpage .

World Education Statistics 2024

The UIS has produced the World Education Statistics 2024 marking the start of a new series of annual publications by the UIS and coinciding with the Institute’s 25th anniversary. This publication features highlights on various targets of SDG 4 covering primary and secondary education, early childhood, vocational and higher education, skills for work, gender parity, literacy, and more. It also includes tables with available data for all countries from 2015 to 2024.

The publication is accompanied by an interactive app that displays UIS data on the global map, making it easy to search and visualize all UIS indicators.

 

Meeting of the EDS Commission (formerly TCG)

  • TCG members met in Paris on 6 February 2024 for an update on the TCG10 consultation, membership rotation, and preparations for the Conference on Education Data and Statistics(EDS Conference) (Paris, 7-9 February 2024). For more information, refer to the Meeting’s concept note and presentation.
  • The EDS Conference decisions included:
    1. TCG will be renamed ‘Education Data and Statistics Commission’ (EDS Commission)
    2. TCG will remain the primary body for the coordination of the global education data and statistics
    3. TCG will take forward the recommendations of the EDS Conference between sessions.
  • The EDS Commission (formerly TCG) met again on 29 April 2024 and on 4 July 2024.

For more information: Terms of Reference and new composition

Technical Advisory Group on SDG indicator 4.1.1

  • The UIS convened a TAG of experts to refine the eligibility criteria that assessments should meet for reporting on SDG 4.1.1, with emphasis on SDG 4.1.1.a (early grades) given its recent downgrade from Tier I to Tier II during the IAEG/SDG meeting in October 2023.
  • The first TAG meeting (4-6 March) reviewed the Criteria for Eligibility for reporting:
    1. alignment/validity;
    2. item content/quality;
    3. sample representativeness/rigor;
    4. assessment administration;
    5. data custodianship, reliability, and linking to the MPL.
  • The second TAG meeting (14-16 May 2024) reviewed the evidence from the analysis of existing databases and discussed benchmark-setting.

For more information: refer to the page TAG on SDG 4.1.1a.

  • Check out the Webinar Series on ‘Reshaping the Ecosystem for Learning Assessments’ organized by the UIS (10 and 16 September).

 

SDG 4 Scorecard progress report on national benchmarks: focus on teachers


The SDG 4 Scorecard shows countries’ efforts towards achieving their 2025 and 2030 national benchmarks, which represent their intended contributions to the achievement of SDG 4. Progress towards national targets is insufficient: countries are making good progress in Internet connectivity at school and teacher qualifications, but progress on the 6 other benchmark indicators is not on course.

Download the scorecard
English | French | Spanish

SDG 4 scorecard: progress report on national benchmarks on school internet connectivity


This brochure presents a summary of the findings from the second global assessment of progress towards the eighth benchmark indicator which corresponds to SDG global indicator 4.a.1 and was introduced after the Transforming Education Summit: school internet connectivity.

Download the School Internet connectivity Scorecard  English

SDG 4 Scorecard progress report on national benchmarks in Africa
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The SDG 4 Scorecard for Africa is a summary of the findings from the 2nd global assessment of country progress towards benchmarks since 2015. Overall, 72% of African countries have set national SDG 4 benchmarks for at least one indicator.

Download the Africa scorecard  English | French | Spanish

SDG 4 Scorecard progress report on national benchmarks in the Commonwealth


This brochure presents a summary of the findings from the second global assessment of progress towards the benchmarks among the Commonwealth countries since 2015. Overall, 84% of Commonwealth countries have set national SDG 4 benchmarks for at least one indicator.

Download the Commonwealth scorecard  English

SDG 4 Scorecard progress report on national benchmarks in asia and the pacific


This brochure presents a summary for Asia and the Pacific of the findings from the second global assessment of country progress towards the benchmarks. In addition, it presents country progress towards the benchmarks set at the sub-regional level.

Download the Asia and the Pacific Scorecard  English

Education Finance Watch

The Education Finance Watch (EFW ) is a collaborative effort between the World Bank (WB), the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The EFW aims to provide an analysis of trends, patterns, and issues in education financing around the world using various sources of education, economic, and financial data from the WB, UIS, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).


The Education Finance Watch (EFW) 2023 updates analyses on trends and patterns of education spending for the past 10 years, up to 2021, the second fiscal year after COVID-19. As a special theme of this year’s volume, the EFW2023 sheds light on changes in the school-age population and projects its fiscal implications for the upcoming ten years for selected countries.

Download the EFW2023.


This year, the special edition of EFW2023 extracts its findings on Africa, marking the declaration of 2024 as the African Union (AU) Year of Education and aiming to provide information to ministers of finance and education. Where possible, the data are disaggregated by each Regional Economic Community (REC) and by each AU regional group.

Download the special edition of EFW2023

Bridging the Global SDG 4 Framework with Regional Frameworks

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics published a series of regional reports to bridge the global SDG 4 framework with regional education monitoring frameworks and developed a dashboard to show the correspondence between global and regional goals, targets, and indicators.

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A note on Foundational Learning

Foundational Learning is defined as basic literacy, numeracy, and transferable skills such as socioemotional skills that provide the fundamental building blocks for all other learning, knowledge, and higher-order skills.

The Global Coalition for Foundational Learning was founded in 2022 to bring together partners with a shared commitment to improving foundational learning for all and a desire to work together to drive change more quickly. Read more in this document.

Updated key learning data resources

Visit this page for a complete list of learning data resources.