WHY GIRLS’ EDUCATION?
Education is a basic human right set forth by multiple UN declarations and conventions. Yet 62 million girls are out of school globally, which has far-reaching effects on their families, communities, and future generations.
THE CYCLE OF POVERTY
Poverty is the number one barrier to education for girls around the world. Currently, 1 in 5 girls are denied an education because of the daily realities of poverty.
1/4
A girl has a 1 in 4 chance of
being born into poverty.
67%
Of the world’s 792 million
illiterate adults, about 67% are women.
70% of the 1 billion people living in extreme poverty are women and girls.
50%
A child born to a literate
mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.
2x
Educated mothers are more
than twice as likely to send their children to school.
A CHANCE TO THRIVE
Education can help to preserve childhood and allow for healthy development by preventing child marriage, early pregnancy, and other harmful practices.
14 million girls under 18 will be married this year.
If all girls globally had a secondary education, there would be 75% fewer child marriages.
Half of all births in the developing world are to adolescent girls.
If all mothers completed primary school, maternal deaths would be reduced by two thirds.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Girls with fewer years of school are at a higher risk for poor health, violence, and discrimination
150million
An estimated 150 million girls
are victims of sexual assault in a single year.
80%
80% of all human
trafficking victims are girls.
HIV/AIDS spreads twice as quickly among uneducated girls.
3million
Each year, an estimated 3 million girls suffer genital mutilation.
ECONOMIES & COMMUNITIES
Investing in girls’ education has extensive positive effects on local communities as well as regional, national, and global economies.
A girl with an extra year of education can earn 20% more income as an adult.
On average, women invest 90% of their income back into their families.
Some countries lose more than $1 billion a year in GDP by not educating girls to the same level as boys.
If 1% more girls in India were able to enroll in secondary school, India’s GDP would rise by $5.5 billion.