UN: Nearly 6 Million Refugee Children Were Out of School in 2025
UN: Nearly 6 Million Refugee Children Were Out of School in 2025
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UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, citing the UN Refugee Agency’s latest annual education report, said 44 percent of the world’s 13.1 million school-age refugee children were not enrolled in school last year.
UNHCR data showed significant disparities across education levels. Primary school enrollment among refugee children reached 65 percent in 2025, while secondary school enrollment stood at just 32 percent.
Higher education, however, recorded progress. The proportion of refugees enrolled in universities and other higher education institutions rose from around 9 percent in 2024 to a record 11 percent in 2025, with more than 450,000 refugees enrolled for the first time.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih warned that the funding crisis could have direct consequences for the future of refugee children and young people. He stressed that education serves both as a form of protection and as a pathway to opportunity and self-reliance.
The warning comes as UNHCR faces a worsening funding shortfall. Available funding fell from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025, despite persistently high levels of refugee and forced displacement worldwide.
UNHCR says it requires $8.5 billion this year to fund its refugee protection and assistance operations, but had received only $2.7 billion by the end of July, covering 32 percent of its needs.
The agency warned that approximately 8.3 million refugees and forcibly displaced people could lose access to vital assistance as a result of severe funding cuts. It said prolonged underfunding could lead to further reductions in protection and education services, potentially closing opportunities for an entire generation of refugee children and young people.
