Global Annual Results Report 2025: Goal Area 2
Results from UNICEF’s efforts to support children’s learning and skills throughout the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan period.
About
The Global Annual Results Report 2025 on Goal Area 2 presents results from UNICEF’s efforts to support children’s learning and skills throughout the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan period. Working with governments, development partners, civil society, communities and young people, UNICEF supported countries to expand access to education, improve learning and skills development, and strengthen education systems in 147 countries, including those affected by conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks and other crises.
As education systems face growing pressures from conflict, climate change, displacement, financing constraints and persistent learning gaps, UNICEF and its partners continued to deliver results at scale. Across the Strategic Plan period, 8 of 14 education indicators were achieved, with particularly strong progress in education sector planning, crisis-resilient systems, learning assessment, digital learning and skills system development. Progress was slower in areas such as teacher development, student and community participation, and gender-responsive learning, reflecting the complexity of translating policy and system reforms into sustained changes in practice, behaviour and learning environments.
Key highlights
- In 2025, 27.8 million out-of-school children and adolescents accessed education through UNICEF-supported programmes, bringing the total reached during the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan period close to 178 million.
- In 2025, UNICEF provided 24.5 million children with learning materials, contributing to a total reach of close to 144 million children across the Strategic Plan period.
- By the end of 2025, UNICEF-supported programmes had reached 126 million children through digital learning platforms while supporting countries to advance digital learning and the responsible use of AI.
- Across the Strategic Plan period, the share of UNICEF-supported countries with evidence-based education sector plans increased from 48 to 78 per cent, effective learning assessment systems from 39 to 63 per cent, and institutionalized holistic skills development systems from 21 to 48 per cent.
As UNICEF enters its 2026–2029 Strategic Plan period, these results reinforce the importance of investing in stronger, more resilient and more inclusive education systems. Sustained progress will depend on translating gains in access into improved learning outcomes and skills so that every child and young person can learn, thrive and realize their full potential.
