United Nations Millennium Development Goals
GOAL 2:
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION
Target 2.A:
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
- Enrolment in primary education in developing regions reached 90 per cent in 2010, up from 82 per cent in 1999, which means more kids than ever are attending primary school.
- In 2010, 61 million children of primary school age were out of school. More than half of them (33 million) were in sub-Saharan Africa and a further one fifth (13 million) in Southern Asia.
- Even as countries with the toughest challenges have made large strides, progress on primary school enrolment has slowed since 2004, dimming hopes for achieving universal primary education by 2015.
- With more children completing primary education, the demand for secondary education is growing. In 2010, there were 71 million young adolescents (typically aged 12-15 years) out of school around the world.
- Gender gaps in youth literacy rates are also narrowing. Globally, there were 95 literate young women for every 100 young men in 2010, compared with 90 women in 1990.
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MDG 2 Infographic
