In low- and middle-income countries, learning poverty has increased by a third. An estimated 70% of 10-year-olds are unable to understand a simple written text, according to a new report published by the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, UK government Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FDCO), USAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This generation of students is now at risk of losing $21 trillion in potential lifetime earnings (in present value) - the equivalent of 17% of the global GDP today. Prolonged school closures, unequal mitigation strategies, and household-income shocks have worsened learning inequality among children.

The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Updates reports reveals that Latin America and the Caribbean have been impacted the most. It is predicted that 80% of children at the end of primary school age are unable to understand simple written text - this number is up from 50% pre-pandemic.

The next-largest increase was seen in South Asia. An estimated 78% of children lack minimum literacy proficiency - up from 60% pre-pandemic. And in sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of literacy proficiency is at 89%.

Without equal access to education and foundational skills, children will struggle to gain the technical and higher-order skills needed to thrive in the increasingly demanding labour markets. The evidence is mounting that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and other disadvantaged groups are suffering from larger learning losses.