UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) released the most recent education data and indicators (for the 2017 school year) for about 200 countries and territories in its global education database.

While the global and regional totals remain the same as those released last September, the database now contains more timely and country-level data, including the indicators used to monitor progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal on education (UIS SDG 4 country profiles are currently being updated). For example, the new UIS data reveal serious disparities in the classroom conditions facing children and teachers – from the percentage of schools with access to electricity, clean drinking water and single-sex toilets to Internet access and computers.

The UIS also continues to work with partners to develop the methodological tools to help countries make the greatest use of their data. For example, its new guidebook produced together with the World Bank, Measuring Household Expenditure on Education: A Guidebook for Designing Household Survey Questionnaires, is designed to help countries gain a more accurate view of the amounts families are spending on their children’s education, while also reporting on SDG 4 Indicator 4.5.4.

In the area of learning outcomes, we have released a new paper to help countries measure digital literacy skills as part of Indicator 4.4.2. The paper provides a series of practical recommendations on the different types of assessment tools that countries can use to report data according to the new Digital Literacy Global Framework. We have also released a country hub for assessment data to help countries link the different conceptual, methodological and reporting frameworks for SDG 4 indicators on learning outcomes.

UIS education database on the link.