COUNT ME IN! World Bank Education Global Department Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women © World Bank June 2025 Unlocking Girls’ and Women’s Economic Potential through Education Investing in girls’ and women’s education and training is essential for expanding economic opportunities and is a proven pathway to poverty reduction. The World Bank supports resilient, fair, and accessible education systems to ensure everyone has the chance to learn. Such education systems succeed in eliminating barriers that prevent girls and women from reaping the returns on investments in education. Girls’ and women’s education creates a more prosperous and equitable future for all. The economy benefits when all girls and women receive the requisite education and training that gives them the skills to participate in the labor market: leading to improved lives, self-sustaining communities, economic growth, and global stability. According to the World Bank, restricted access to education for girls results in a loss of US$15–US$30 trillion in lifetime productivity and earnings for nations. The World Bank’s Pathways to Prosperity for Adolescent Girls in Africa report, emphasizes that adopting evidence-based interventions that improve girls’ education could potentially generate an extra US$2.4 trillion in income for African countries by 2040. 2 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Progress and Challenges in Girls’ Education and Economic Empowerment Globally, girls’ education has made consistent and substantial progress. Since 2015, about 50 million more girls have enrolled in school, including 22.5 million enrollments in primary education, 14.6 million enrollments in lower secondary education, and 13 million enrollments in upper secondary education. Also, between 2015 and 2024, girls’ completion rates increased from 86 percent to 89 percent in primary education, from 74 percent to 79 percent in lower secondary education, and from 54 percent to 61 percent in upper secondary education1. For economic empowerment, World Bank data2, shows that the percentage of female population ages 15-64 participating in the labor market rose from 53 percent in 2020 to 55 percent in 2024 globally3. The World Bank remains committed to supporting governments in addressing challenges education systems face in improving girls’ education through lending operations and analytical work. These projects are typically multisectoral, engaging partners from the health, social protection, digital, water, and other sectors to deliver holistic solutions, optimize resources, foster innovation, and achieve resilient outcomes. The World Bank Scorecard estimates that, as of June 30, 2024, active World Bank financed education projects in the 2024 fiscal year had reached over 146 million girls and young women across 78 countries. Despite this progress, significant challenges, including gender-based violence, child marriage, high secondary school dropout rates, and gender discrimination persist, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and fragile, conflict, and violence (FCV)-affected areas. Globally, about 12 million girls marry before the age of 18 each year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 40 percent of girls marry before turning 18 years. In South Asia, early marriage affects 30 percent of adolescent girls (aged 15-19), making adolescent girls three times more likely than boys to be not in education, employment, or training (NEET). In FCV-affected areas, girls are 90 percent more likely to be out of secondary school compared to girls in non-FCV-affected areas. In addition, girls in FCV-affected areas are over two times more likely to be out of school than boys in these areas, with secondary school completion rates at 33 percent for girls compared to 38 percent for boys (both reflecting stark dropout rates in secondary education). 1 https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/progress-girls-access-education-what- new-unesco-data-reveals#:~:text=Completion%20rates%20of%20girls%20 increased,61%25%20in%20upper%20secondary%20education 2 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.ACTI.FE.ZS 3 https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/data-stories/flfp-data-story 3 Photo © Tom Perry / World Bank Figure 1: Global Challenges in Girls’ Education THE NUMBERS TELL THE STORY 122+ million While there are similar rates of school enrollment globally (92% male, 90% female), in low-income countries, female school completion is lowest at the Out of school girls worldwide secondary education level. Nearly 4 in 10 adolescent girls and young women do not complete upper secondary education. 34 million 87 million 63% 67% of primary-school age of secondary-school age Female Male In South Asia, approximately 42 million primary and secondary school-age girls are out of school. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that number is 50 million. It is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population are women. The literacy rate (above 15 years old) Girls in FCV-affected contexts: 2.5 times more likely to be 90% more likely to be out 84% 91% out of school of secondary school Female Male than boys than those in non-FCV contexts Both boys and girls are facing a learning crisis. Learning Poverty (LP) measures the share of There is a children who are not able to read and understand a large gender gap simple text by age 10. While girls are on average, 4 percentage points less learning-poor than boys, the rates remain very high for both groups. The average in labor force participation especially in the Middle East LP rate in LMICs is and North Africa, which has the lowest female labor force participation rate at 19%. females 50% males 56% The gap is narrower in low-income countries, where LP averages about 93% for both boys and girls. 4 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © World Bank Figure 2: Girls’ Education Projects under the Four Key Priority Areas by Region Regional Split of Girls' Education Projects Under the 4 Key Priority Areas # of Projects 40 Removing barriers to girls’ schooling Promoting safe and inclusive schools 30 Improving the quality of education Developing skills for life and labor market success 20 10 0 Eastern & Western & East Asia Europe and Latin America Middle East and South Asia Southern Africa Central Africa and Pacific Central Asia and the Caribbean North Africa Region Region Region Region Region *Numbers are based on portfolio review in October, 2024 The World Bank Education Department is committed to advancing girls’ education through a range of strategic interventions. These strategic interventions extend beyond improving school attendance and academic performance; they provide girls with safe, inclusive, and enriching educational environments that equip them for lifelong success and inspire a culture of continuous learning. Accordingly, the objective of the yearly Count Me In brochure is to highlight current World Bank financed education projects that are advancing girls’ education with strategic interventions that align with the World Bank Group Gender Strategy 2024-2030. The World Bank finances education projects in several critical areas, six of which are discussed in this 2025 edition of Count Me In brochure, namely, early childhood education; creating gender-sensitive school infrastructure, creating safe schools for girls; preparing girls and women for jobs through skills development; preparing girls and women for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers; and providing second chance programs for out-of-school girls. This edition also highlights, two special issues on girls’ and women’s participation in STEM and boys’ disengagement and underperformance in education. 5 Photo © Khasar Sandag / World Bank SPOTLIGHT Investing in Early Childhood Education Creating a more equitable society begins by ensuring that every child, irrespective of their socio-economic background and gender, has access to high-quality early childhood education and care services. Expanding inclusive early childhood education to reach all children can significantly enhance their lives, especially the lives of disadvantaged girls. SERBIA Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care Project The Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care project in Serbia introduced child- centered curricula in all preschools, and trained over 14,000 teachers, reached approximately 300,000 children. The project also increased the national preschool enrollment rate for children aged 3 from 52 percent in 2018 to 74 percent in 2024. In the poorest municipalities, enrollment rates rose significantly from 19 percent to 52 percent. 14,000+ 300,000 teachers received children reached training Preschool enrollment rate Enrollment rate for children aged 3 in poor municipalities 6 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Z. Mrdja / World Bank SPOTLIGHT Creating Gender-Sensitive School Infrastructure Eliminating barriers to girls’ education is essential for achieving gender equality and empowering future generations. World Bank education projects are breaking these barriers with several interventions, including addressing socio-cultural biases, providing scholarships, and mentorships. KENYA 34,000 students benefited Primary Education Equity in Learning Program from scholarship and (PEELP) and Secondary Education Quality mentorship intiatives 51% Improvement Project (SEQIP)  are girls The PEELP and SEQIP aim is to increase girls’ school retention. The PEELP focuses on retaining girls in upper primary education and 120,000 girls supported enhancing systems for equitable outcomes, and SEQIP targets these by SEQIP goals in secondary education. As part of PEELP, scholarship and mentorship initiatives benefited 34,000 students, with 51 percent being girls. Through the project, girls’ retention rates rose from 80 Increase in girls’ retention percent in 2022 to 91 percent in 2024 and girls’ secondary school rates transition rates improved by 15 percent. For SEQIP, the Best Me Clubs supported approximately 120,000 girls between 2018 and 2024. To keep girls in school, the project distributed sanitary pads to over 1 million girls, reducing absenteeism by 30 percent and ensuring uninterrupted learning. 7 Photo © Flore de Preneuf / World Bank MOZAMBIQUE Improving Learning and Empowering Girls in Mozambique (Moz-Learning) Project The Moz-Learning is a World Bank and GPE funded project, which aims to improve girls’ learning outcomes by upgrading 150 primary schools with girl-friendly water, sanitation, and health (WASH) facilities and equipping 98 distance learning centers for students. The project interventions increased lower secondary education enrollment by about 30 percent nationally. Additionally, girls’ school retention improved from 64 percent in 2021 to 74 percent in 2024 in the target areas. 98 150 30% distance learning centers primary schools increase in lower equipped with upgraded with secondary education multimedia studios WASH facilities Girls’ retention rates (up to grade 7) 8 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photos © Arne Hoel / World Bank SPOTLIGHT Creating Safe Schools for Girls Creating safe schools and spaces for girls requires implementing zero-tolerance policies against violence and harassment, promoting gender-sensitive curricula, and fostering inclusivity and diversity. World Bank-financed education projects incorporate these interventions to ensure girls can learn and thrive in safe and empowering educational environments. PAKISTAN 17,725,061 children, parents, and teachers Actions to Strengthen benefited from campaigns Performance for Inclusive focused on education and and Responsive Education mental health well-being, (ASPIRE) Project including 6,707,938 girls The ASPIRE project, which seeks to address disparities in access to education and improve learning outcomes in lagging districts 42,203 of Pakistan, has benefited over 17,725,061 children, parents, girls in deprived and teachers, including 6,707,938 girls through sensitization communities enrolled in campaigns focused on education and mental health well-being. multi-modal programs ASPIRE has also supported 43,203 girls to enroll in multi-modal programs, providing interactive learning. In addition, the project has upgraded WASH facilities in 476 girls’ schools, providing safer school environments, and trained 1,998 female teachers 476 on accelerated learning and formative assessment. girls’ schools enhanced 1,998 female teachers trained on accelerated learning 9 Photos © Visual News Associates / World Bank NAGALAND (INDIA) Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Learning (NECTAR) Project The NECTAR project, aims to enhance learning outcomes by reducing school-related gender-based violence. The project reached over 52,000 girls out of 52,000 the 130,000 students benefitting from the project as of girls reached February 2025. The project is developing a school-level gender-based violence prevention framework to train stakeholders, including all students, teachers, parents, and about 192 administrative officers, in designated 192 administrative officers Lighthouse School Complexes. trained in gender-based violence prevention 10 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photos © World Bank SPOTLIGHT SWEDD Preparing Girls The Sahel Women’s and Women for Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) Project Jobs through Skills Development The SWEDD project expanded the range of economic opportunities available to girls and women and impacted 254,548 adolescent girls and women through professional training, credit provision, and productive asset grant during its implementation period (2014-2024). The Sub-Saharan Africa Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Plus (SWEDD+) project, builds on SWEDD’s decade of achievements and will further expand access to education for about 766,760 adolescent girls by the project’s closing date in 2030 through interventions such as provision of transportation services, accommodation, school supplies and unconditional cash transfers. 254,548 adolescent girls and women impacted through professional training, credit provision and productive asset grant 11 Photos © Abubakar Balogun / Unsplash, Vincent Tremeau / World Bank NIGERIA Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment 685,714 girls expected to be trained (AGILE) Project on digital literacy The AGILE project aims to improve secondary education opportunities among adolescent girls and to empower them through 262,225 girls have benefited from life skills, second-chance education, and market-relevant skills digital literacy training training. The project will train a total of 685,714 girls in digital literacy to help them thrive in the digital economy by the project’s closing date in 2028. Currently, 262,225 girls have already benefited from digital literacy training. Additionally, 84,945 girls have completed life 84,945 skills programs designed to build their capacity and confidence to girls completed life skills effectively navigate the transition to adulthood and the workplace. programs 12 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Dominic Chavez / World Bank SPECIAL ISSUE The Gender Gap in STEM Expanding girls’ and women’s participation in STEM education is crucial for unlocking access to high-growth, well-paying careers such as engineering and computer science. Without this, women remain excluded from economic opportunities, reinforcing inequality across generations and hindering efforts to reduce poverty. In addition, greater participation of women in STEM fields and their advancement to leadership positions are essential for solving global challenges through diverse and innovative perspectives. 34% <25% of tertiary education STEM are employed across students are women several traditionally a figure that has remained male-dominated unchanged for the past 10 years. STEM fields (Reported by the United Nations Educational, (see Figure 3b) Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO) For vulnerable women, 12% particularly those with disabilities, representation is of national academy even lower with only of sciences members are women, globally 2-3% in the STEM workforce 28% of the STEM workforce comprises women, compared to 47% of the non-STEM workforce ~10% (The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global of STEM leadership positions Gender Gap Report) held by women, compared to 25 percent in non-STEM fields <30% of women are adopting STEM skills, such as artificial intelligence and programming (see Figure 3a) 13 Figure 3a. Women’s STEM Skills Figure 3b. Share of Women and Men in STEM Adoption (percentage) Occupations, by Industry (percentage) 27.1 27 Oil, Gas and Mining 37.8% 21.9% 26.5 43.2% 26.2 Technology, Information and Media 22.2% 25.8 33% Manufacturing 2o.3% 37.6% Infrastructure 23.8% 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Men Women Source: World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, (2024) Global STEM gender disparities are rooted in Interventions promoting gender-sensitive societal structures and cultural norms that limit teaching of STEM subjects, targeted scholarships, girls’ aspirations for STEM education, careers, and mentorships, early exposure to role models, and the leadership roles starting early on in life. These creation of supportive learning environments such disparities are often observed in teaching and learning as robotics and coding clubs can increase girls’ and materials such as textbooks, classroom interactions, women’s enrollment in STEM programs. Access and family dynamics, where parents may favor sons to affordable and reliable electricity and digital pursuing STEM fields (UNICEF, 2020). Broader social infrastructure is also essential for making STEM perceptions also influence who is perceived as a programs more inclusive, accessible, and effective, STEM leader (World Bank, 2020; UNICEF, 2023). especially in remote or underserved regions. In Additionally, limited exposure to female role models, STEM jobs, improving the recruitment and retention restrictive work conditions (such as inflexible working of women and their advancement to leadership hours), career preferences, and mismatches between positions require clear career development skills market demand contribute to the limited pathways, inclusive workplace policies, and strong transition of women into STEM careers. connections to professional networks. 14 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Nafise Motlaq / World Bank SPOTLIGHT Preparing Girls and Women for STEM Careers GEORGIA Innovation, Inclusion, and Quality (I2Q) The Georgia Innovation, Inclusion, and Quality (I2Q) project, which aims to enhance interest and engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), is empowering young girls to overcome gender stereotypes in STEAM fields through mentorship programs and teacher training programs designed to eliminate gender biases. The mentorship initiative had reached 1,556 students, including 798 girls, representing a 51 percent participation rate as of January 2025. By December 2025, 12 STEAM Hub Schools established through the project will develop up to 300 STEAM projects to boost girls’ interest. These projects will culminate in the ‘Future Georgia’ competition in Spring 2025. 1,556 12 students reached STEAM Hub Schools including established 798 girls 300 projects to boost girls’ participation in STEAM 15 Photo © Dominic Chavez / World Bank In 2024, the PACES project, which aims to enhance women’s access to higher education through COLOMBIA information campaigns, prioritizing loan allocations and scholarships to female students, supported half a 500,000 million Colombian women to pursue higher education. Women accounted for 54 percent of the 924,000 beneficiaries. A notable component, the For Women in Science program, has recognized about 70 Colombian Access female and scientists Quality and providedin Higher them Education with financial incentives. The project Colombian women has resulted in supported women representing 53 (PACES) Project percent of the 2,466,228 students enrolled in technical, technological, to pursue university, higher and eduction postgraduate programs. Read more about PACES. The PACES project, which aims to enhance women’s access 54% to higher education through information campaigns and by women of the 924,000 prioritizing loan allocations and scholarships for women students, scholarships beneficiaries supported 500,000 Colombian women in pursuing higher education. Women accounted for 54 percent of the 924,000 beneficiaries. A notable component, the For Women in Science 70 program, has recognized about 70 Colombian women scientists Colombian female scientists and provided them with financial incentives. The project has recognized resulted in women representing 53 percent of the 2,466,228 students enrolled in tertiary programs. 16 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Charlotte Kesl / World Bank SPOTLIGHT Providing Second Chances for Out-of-School Girls TANZANIA Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQUIP) Since 2019, the SEQUIP project has substantially enhanced access to 6 million quality secondary education for nearly 6 million students. Students students received access to reaching the end of public lower secondary school has risen by 60 quality secondary education percent, with an 86 percent increase in those advancing to senior secondary school. The number of adolescent girls transitioning to upper secondary has more than doubled, with gender parity nearly 60% achieved. Over 12,600 girls who had dropped out due to various in number of students reaching reasons, including pregnancy, have rejoined school through alternative the end of public lower education pathways. Also, about 60 percent of public schools now secondary schools implement the safe school program, fostering secure, inclusive, and 12,600 gender-responsive learning environments for girls. girls have rejoined school 17 Photos © Sarah Farhat / World Bank SPECIAL ISSUE Addressing Boys’ Disengagement and Underperformance in Education Boys’ disengagement and underperformance in education are an escalating global concern. According to UNESCO, 129 million boys are out of school compared to 122 million girls worldwide. On average, boys achieve learning outcomes that are 3.7 percentage points lower than those of girls. The factors contributing to boys’ disengagement and underperformance are multifaceted. A World Bank study identifies labor market influences, social norms, and characteristics of education (teaching and learning processes) as key contributors to boys’ disengagement and underachievement. The study highlights that the characteristics of education, such as pedagogies and school quality conditions, are among the most influential factors affecting boys’ school dropout rates and poor learning outcomes. Boys’ disengagement and underperformance in education is gradually becoming a problem for several low- and middle-income countries, including Honduras, Jamaica, Lesotho, and Zambia, are now observing similar trends (UNESCO, 2022). A World Bank report highlighted that 30 percent of low-income countries, 54 percent of lower-middle-income countries, 70 percent of upper-middle-income countries, and 55 percent of high-income countries report boys’ underachievement in secondary school. In a 2023 World Bank study in the Latin America and Caribbean (LCR) region, it was found that in lower secondary education, boys had lower completion rates compared to girls in 21 out of the 25 countries surveyed. Figure 4: Lower Secondary Completion (% relevant age group) in LCR. 125 105 85 65 Girls Boys 45 25 Suriname Honduras Guatemala Belize El Salvador Costa Rica Dominican Republic Trinidad and Tobago Paraguay Panama Colombia Uruguay Saint Lucia Dominica Brazil Jamaica Bolivia Grenada Ecuador Barbados Mexico Peru Argentina Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Chile Source: World Bank (2023). 18 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Dominic Chavez / World Bank Addressing the declining educational outcomes among boys is essential to the World Bank’s poverty reduction agenda. This will require a comprehensive approach that includes policy reforms, quality teacher training, and community engagement. The World Bank is exploring several interventions to address this challenge, including cash transfers to prevent dropouts, remedial education, teacher support, increasing positive male role models, providing non-formal education and skilling opportunities, improving school leadership and systems, and enhancing school characteristics for at- risk boys. The essential point is that quality education and skills development is critical for increasing boys’ engagement and improving their job prospects. 19 Examples of World Bank Projects that Support Boys’ Education The Paraguay–Joining Efforts for an In Colombia, the Program for Improving 1 Education of Excellence Project provides 2 Learning Outcomes and Socioemotional cash transfers to improve school Education is reducing gaps in school engagement among boys. retention and achievement for boys by combining learning assessments with updated pedagogical practices. The Piauí Productive and Social Inclusion The Support to Upper Secondary Reform 3 Development Policy Project aims to reduce 4 Project aims to reduce repetition and dropout school dropout among public upper rates, which heavily affect boys. The project secondary students, especially young involves a nationwide upper secondary men, by providing monetary incentives reform centered on curriculum reforms. to students from municipalities with the highest rates of extreme poverty. 20 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Dominic Chavez / World Bank The Guyana Strengthening Human Capital 5 Project developed a gender strategy to combat growing dropout rates among boys and close reverse gender gaps in enrollment and performance at the secondary level, especially in mathematics. 21 Leveraging Partnerships for Greater Impact at Scale The World Bank approach to girls’ education is multisectoral, and the Global Education Department works closely with other internal departments and external partners to enhance girls’ education. Internally, the Global Education Department works with the: • World Bank Gender to implement the World Bank Group Gender Strategy and facilitate cross-sectoral learning and knowledge events to support both World Bank task teams and external partners working on addressing gender-specific barriers to improve the learning outcomes and job prospects especially adolescent girls through the Learning to Empower Adolescent Girls at Scale (LEAS). Five LEAS sessions including one operations clinic have been organized as of April 2025, covering topics such as sexual and reproductive health, digital inclusion and artificial intelligence, the participation of women and girls in STEM, and improving boys’ learning outcomes. • Social Protection Department to address challenges with gender inequalities in labor market participation. • Water Department to spur access to sanitation and hygiene in schools. • Energy Department to improve access to electricity within schools. Externally, the Global Education Department collaborates with organizations such as the: • The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners on furthering advocacy for girls’ education. • Global Partnership for Education (GPE), where the World Bank serves as the implementing agency of GPE grants, that also supports girls’ education. 22 Improving Education Outcomes for Girls and Young Women Photo © Maria Fleischmann / World Bank Photo © World Bank