Global Learning Poverty: A Regional Analysis of Education Inequality

Written and Researched by Jacob Lindbert

Research Assisted by Om Jade

Introduction

Education is widely regarded as one of the most powerful tools for social and economic transformation. It empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and drives sustainable development. However, despite global commitments to addressing literacy rates and education gaps, there remain disparities among countries and continents. Much of this global challenge can be defined under the term learning poverty. The World Bank defines learning poverty as the percentage of children who by the age of 10 years old are unable to read and understand simple text (The World Bank, 2022). Reading serves as the foundation upon which children can learn, where the inability to do so negatively shapes their future educational, social, and economic opportunities. 

The importance of addressing learning poverty extends beyond individual achievement. Countries with high learning poverty rates face long-term consequences, including slower economic growth, weakened human capital development, and perpetuation of social inequalities. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the crisis by disrupting schooling globally, leading to significant setbacks in learning outcomes, especially in low- and middle-income nations. The World Bank reports around 260 million children are not present in any school system (The World Bank, 2022). This learning crisis leads to lifelong challenges. When children do not learn to read and write, they often fail to thrive in further schooling as well as post-educational settings. These individuals often fail to acquire many of the skills needed to launch their careers and become thriving members of society. 

Another measure this paper will evaluate is learning deprivation amongst countries. The World Bank defines learning deprivation as the inability of children to acquire foundational skills, particularly reading proficiency, by the end of primary school (The World Bank, 2022). For most students, primary school ends around the age of 11 to 12, marking a critical moment in their future academic and professional foundation. Learning deprivation differs from learning poverty because it focuses on the actual performance of children in school, while learning poverty encompasses a broader range of factors that contribute to the overall quality of education and learning outcomes. The third measure that will be evaluated within this paper is schooling deprivation. The World Bank defines this as the share of primary-aged children who are not in school (The World Bank, 2022). This does not mean that all students who are not in school are not receiving any education, nor do they all fall under the categories of learning poverty or learning deprivation. However, it does lay out a picture that represents global challenges to education. Together, these three measures reflect the challenges faced by children in acquiring reading skills, foundational skills, and other knowledge. 

While prior studies often focus on individual countries or regions, this research takes a comparative, global perspective by analyzing learning poverty, learning deprivation, and schooling deprivation across six continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia & Oceania. By examining variations in these measures, this study aims to identify regional disparities and uncover patterns that may inform targeted policy interventions. The significance of this research lies not only in describing the current states of learning poverty, learning deprivation, and schooling deprivation, but also in providing evidence-based insights that may contribute to international dialogue on education reform. As education systems worldwide struggle to recover from the pandemic and adapt to technological and demographic shifts, understanding the scope and distribution of learning poverty is more critical than ever.

Methodology

This research employs a quantitative, comparative approach to examine learning poverty, learning deprivation, and schooling deprivation rates across six continents. The methodology is built around three primary components: data collection, data preparation, and analytical techniques. Together, these steps ensure a consistent and reliable assessment of global learning poverty patterns. The principal source of data for this study is the World Bank Database, which provides country-level statistics on the percentage of children aged ten who are unable to read and comprehend simple text. Additional reports from UNESCO and UNICEF were consulted to cross-verify regional disparities and strengthen the reliability of the findings. The dataset covers countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia & Oceania. However, not all nations had published or up-to-date learning poverty values; such countries were excluded from the quantitative analyses. 

While data used in this paper is consistent with respect to all coming from the World Bank, there are some limitations. Data varies significantly, with some countries reporting 2019 figures while others have data only from 2001. This gap in data can lead to inaccuracies, not accounting for any progress countries may have made on a year-to-year basis. Additionally, with the most recent data being from 2019, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on global learning patterns is not accounted for. Therefore, while the data obtained is useful for evaluating trends, it is important to note the limitations present. 

Regional Analysis

Africa

The continent of Africa has some of the highest rates of learning poverty, learning deprivation, and school deprivation in the world. Many countries have rates of over 90 percent learning poverty and learning deprivation, with many having higher than 20 percent schooling deprivation rates. This means that in many of these countries, 90 percent or more of children are unable to read or understand simple text by the age of 10. This widespread crisis reflects deep-rooted structural challenges, including pervasive poverty, prolonged armed conflict, fragile governance systems, inadequate school infrastructure, and limited investment in teacher training and learning materials. Countries including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Zambia have rates over 90 percent for both learning poverty and learning deprivation. Even the country with the lowest rate of learning poverty, Gabon, still presents with 30.7 percent in learning poverty. This is a drastic number, where large portions of the African population experience barriers to learning. 

Given that schooling deprivation rates reach 20 percent in many countries, it is not surprising that learning poverty and learning deprivation are such a large issue. However, it is important to note the wide difference between those attending school and those still unable to read by the age of 10. This highlights an even more fundamental problem within education systems, including inadequate teacher training and insufficient learning materials. Following independence, African classrooms also had more foreign than native teachers, which led to the curriculum reflecting teachers’ context rather than students’ context; through the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in the curriculum, students can be better prepared to thrive in their environment because of reintegrated local expertise and the preservation of traditional knowledge (Zickafoose et al., 2024).

Early literacy is a cornerstone of cognitive development, supporting language acquisition, memory, and higher-order thinking skills. Children who fail to develop basic reading skills by age ten often struggle to engage with more complex subjects in later grades, leading to learning deficits that are difficult to reverse. These academic hurdles often turn into social and emotional problems, including disengagement from work and future learning, low self-esteem, and more. Over time, these outcomes heighten children’s vulnerability to child labor and other forms of social and economic exploitation. At the societal level, widespread learning poverty undermines long-term economic growth and social development. A workforce lacking basic literacy skills is less productive, earns lower wages, and contributes less to national economic output, reinforcing cycles of poverty and inequality. With learning poverty disproportionately impacting children from lower income families and areas, this only widens the generational gap and restricts social mobility. Collectively, these findings indicate that Africa’s education crisis is no longer primarily a matter of school access but one of educational quality, with far-reaching implications for both individual life outcomes and broader societal stability.

Asia

Asia demonstrates an extraordinary degree of diversity in learning poverty outcomes, encompassing some of the world’s strongest education systems as well as nations facing severe foundational learning crises. The continent’s vast population, economic heterogeneity, and varied political environments make it a critical determinant of global learning poverty trends. In regions with advanced economies, widespread access to high-quality schooling and well-developed literacy programs have resulted in exceptionally low learning poverty rates. In contrast, countries affected by conflict, poverty, or limited educational infrastructure experience alarmingly high levels of learning poverty, often exceeding 90 percent. Given Asia’s demographic weight and developmental significance, understanding its educational disparities is essential for shaping global policy responses and driving progress toward the reduction of learning poverty worldwide.

On one end of the spectrum, countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have learning poverty rates of under 4 percent with learning deprivation rates of under 3 percent. This highlights how strong policy prioritization, robust curriculum design, and high-quality teaching can produce measurable results and long-term success. There is a strong correlation between education, economic empowerment, and low unemployment. Education helps economies grow and infrastructures develop. In South Korea, it was government policy that made education the biggest portion of the budget, next to defense (Abuasi, 2020). This is largely similar in both Japan and Singapore, with government initiatives and support at the core of education reforms.

At the other extreme, several Asian countries face severe learning crises. Laos, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and the Philippines rank among the highest globally, reflecting the compounded effects of conflict, limited infrastructure, poverty, and systemic underinvestment in foundational learning. In many countries, learning deprivation rates closely track learning poverty rates, suggesting that poor learning outcomes stem primarily from low instructional quality rather than lack of school participation. This pattern is especially pronounced in countries such as Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines, where learning deprivation differs from learning poverty by only a few percentage points. These findings point to systemic challenges including insufficient teacher training, outdated curricula, language barriers, and limited instructional resources.

Schooling deprivation across Asia shows wide variation and highlights access and quality challenges in education. Several countries—including China, Vietnam, Singapore, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia—report minimal schooling deprivation, reflecting near-universal enrollment. However, many of these same countries still experience moderate learning poverty, reinforcing the conclusion that access alone is insufficient to ensure learning. In contrast, countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, and Yemen face substantial schooling deprivation alongside high learning deprivation, meaning that large numbers of children are both excluded from schooling and unlikely to learn when enrolled. Conflict, displacement, gender barriers, and poverty play central roles in limiting consistent school participation in these contexts.

Asia presents one of the widest gaps between educational success and crisis, with some nations achieving positive learning outcomes while others experience near-total learning poverty. This disparity is driven by a combination of structural, economic, and political factors. Wealthier countries invest heavily in teacher training, curriculum development, and literacy-focused reforms, allowing nations such as Japan and Singapore to attain near-universal literacy by age ten. In contrast, severe economic inequality across the region leaves many low-income countries struggling to provide even basic educational resources. Ongoing conflicts and political instability in countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen, and Myanmar further disrupt schooling and undermine children’s ability to learn. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic had one of its most profound impacts in South and Southeast Asia, where extended school closures and limited access to remote learning disproportionately affected disadvantaged populations. Taken together, the Asian experience underscores that while school access has expanded significantly in many countries, ensuring high-quality learning—particularly in the early grades—remains essential for sustainable development and long-term human capital formation.

Australia and Oceania

This area of the world had very little available data, with both Australia and New Zealand showing relatively low rates of learning poverty, learning deprivation, and schooling deprivation. These countries have strong public education systems, comprehensive literacy programs, and consistent government investment in early childhood learning. These nations demonstrate that high-quality schooling, access to trained teachers, and structured curricular frameworks can significantly reduce learning poverty and promote equitable learning outcomes.

The relatively small gap between learning poverty and learning deprivation in both cases indicates that most learning challenges likely arise within the school system rather than from lack of access, though the scale of the problem remains limited compared to other regions. Schooling deprivation in Australia and New Zealand is minimal, with rates of 3.2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, reflecting near-universal access to education. These low levels of schooling deprivation further reinforce the strength of education infrastructure, social safety nets, and compulsory schooling policies across the region. However, the presence of any schooling deprivation suggests that specific subpopulations—such as Indigenous communities, children in remote areas, or those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds—may still face barriers to consistent school participation and high-quality instruction.

Although overall learning poverty is low, its implications for childhood development and society remain important. At the societal level, even modest levels of learning poverty can contribute to persistent inequality if concentrated among marginalized groups. Australia has and continues to work at expanding access to education resources, utilizing policy exchange and partnership opportunities to reduce disadvantages, promote learning for the disabled, and treat education as a fundamental human right (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2022). Consequently, the experience of Australia and New Zealand underscores that maintaining low learning poverty requires continued investment in inclusive education policies, early interventions, and targeted support for vulnerable populations to ensure that strong average outcomes translate into equitable learning opportunities for all children. 

Europe

Europe stands out globally as the region with the lowest learning poverty rates, a reflection of its well-developed educational systems, substantial public investment in human capital, and long-standing policy frameworks that emphasize literacy and foundational learning. Many European nations have established universal access to early childhood education, ensure strong teacher training systems, and implement consistent national assessments, all of which contribute to exceptional literacy outcomes. As a result, the region serves as a global model for effective education governance and demonstrates the impact of sustained commitment to educational equity and quality. However, not all countries in Europe have achieved such success, with notable exceptions being Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovakia, and Ukraine all having learning poverty rates over 20 percent. These higher rates often reflect the consequences of historical conflict, limited funding, economic instability, or systemic inequalities that hinder educational quality.

Although learning poverty and learning deprivation rates are expected to be close to one another due to the similar nature of the measurement, there are a few countries that break the mold. A few of those countries include Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Austria has a learning poverty rate of 13.3 percent yet a learning deprivation rate of 2.4 percent, the Czech Republic rates of 13.8 and 3 percent for learning poverty and learning deprivation respectively, and Slovakia rates of 23.2 and 6.6 percent for learning poverty and learning deprivation respectively. This highlights the gap of children not being appropriately educated within the school system with many gaining the skills needed to read by the end of primary school as indicated by learning deprivation but still unable to read simple text as indicated by learning poverty. 

Schooling deprivation across Europe is generally minimal, reflecting near-universal access to education. Most countries report schooling deprivation rates below 5 percent, underscoring the success of education policies and strong social infrastructure. However, a subset of countries—including Slovakia, Ukraine, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, and the Czech Republic—exhibit higher schooling deprivation, often exceeding 10 percent. In these contexts, learning poverty reflects a combination of access barriers and learning quality challenges, with factors such as socioeconomic inequality, migration, rural isolation, and political instability contributing to uneven educational participation.

The implications of learning poverty and deprivation for childhood development in Europe, while less severe in scale than in other regions, remain significant. Children who fail to acquire foundational literacy skills early are more likely to struggle academically, experience disengagement from school, and face limited educational and labor market opportunities later in life. These risks are often concentrated among marginalized populations, including children from low-income households, migrant communities, and ethnic minorities, reinforcing patterns of social exclusion and inequality. Europe demonstrates that sustained investment in education, strong governance structures, and comprehensive social equity policies can significantly reduce learning poverty across diverse populations. The region’s success is largely attributed to universal access to early childhood education, well-trained and adequately compensated teachers, and rigorous monitoring mechanisms that ensure continuous evaluation of student performance and system effectiveness. International organizations play a crucial role in supporting foundational literacy in Europe. They provide technical expertise, evidence-based recommendations, and policy guidance to help shape global responses to health challenges and strengthen international cooperation in addressing literacy and other public health issues (United Nations, 2025).

North America

Across North America, learning poverty levels reveal a sharp divide between high-income countries and much of Central America and the Caribbean, highlighting significant inequalities in educational quality and learning outcomes across the region. Many countries experience very high rates of learning poverty and learning deprivation ranging from 70 to 80 percent. Countries like Canada and the United States serve as the other end of the spectrum with learning poverty and deprivation rates of less than 5 percent. These nations benefit from high teacher qualifications, substantial per-student investment, and the availability of learning resources that support literacy development both inside and outside the classroom.

Learning deprivation emerges as the dominant contributor to learning poverty across most of the region. In many countries, learning deprivation rates closely mirror learning poverty rates, suggesting that children are often enrolled in school but are not achieving minimum learning outcomes. This pattern is particularly evident in countries such as Nicaragua, Belize, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, where the difference between learning poverty and learning deprivation is minimal. Even in middle-income countries such as Mexico and Costa Rica, learning deprivation remains substantial, indicating persistent challenges related to instructional quality, teacher preparation, curriculum alignment, and access to learning materials. These findings underscore that expanding school access alone is insufficient to ensure foundational learning.

Schooling deprivation in North America is generally low but varies notably across countries. Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica report minimal schooling deprivation, reflecting widespread access to formal education. However, several countries in Central America, including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama, experience elevated schooling deprivation rates, often exceeding 10 percent. In these contexts, learning poverty reflects a compounded challenge, as children face both barriers to consistent school attendance and limited learning gains when enrolled. Factors such as poverty, rural isolation, and exposure to violence contribute to irregular schooling and hinder educational continuity. Collectively, these patterns indicate that while North America includes some of the world’s strongest education systems, large segments of the region continue to face a foundational learning crisis that demands sustained investment in educational quality, equity, and early-grade learning interventions.

South America

South America’s educational landscape is marked by significant contrasts, shaped by economic disparities, political instability, and unequal access to learning resources. The region includes countries that have made measurable progress in expanding schooling, yet many continue to struggle with ensuring that children acquire foundational reading skills by age ten. Learning poverty in South America remains a critical concern, with substantial variation in outcomes across countries. While some nations demonstrate moderate literacy performance, others face chronic challenges that inhibit progress. As a whole, the region exhibits one of the highest overall learning poverty averages, highlighting the need for sustained policy attention and targeted interventions.

Across South America, learning poverty remains a significant and widespread challenge, despite relatively high levels of school enrollment throughout the region. Chile reports the lowest learning poverty at 27.2 percent, followed by Brazil, Peru, and Uruguay, where rates remain above 40 percent. In contrast, several countries exhibit particularly severe learning poverty, including Paraguay (77.7 percent), Ecuador (65.9 percent), and Argentina (59.1 percent), indicating that a majority of children in these countries are not achieving foundational literacy during their early schooling years. In nearly all countries, learning deprivation closely mirrors learning poverty, with differences of only one to three percentage points. This pattern demonstrates that most children who experience learning poverty are enrolled in school but fail to acquire minimum learning outcomes. These findings point to systemic issues related to instructional quality, including gaps in teacher training, curriculum implementation challenges, unequal access to learning materials, and disruptions to instructional time. Even in countries with comparatively stronger education systems, such as Chile and Uruguay, learning deprivation remains substantial, suggesting that learning challenges are persistent and not limited to low-income contexts.

Schooling deprivation across South America is generally low, reflecting widespread access to formal education and the success of compulsory schooling policies. Most countries report schooling deprivation rates below 3 percent, indicating that barriers to school enrollment are relatively limited. However, Paraguay stands out with a schooling deprivation rate of 12.2 percent, highlighting some of the added barriers they face. These deficiencies stem from factors such as insufficient teacher training, under-resourced schools, and large gaps in instructional quality between urban and rural areas. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive strategy centered on strengthening teacher development, increasing equitable funding, and expanding community-based literacy initiatives that support learning beyond formal schooling. Furthermore, regional cooperation—such as educational coordination within MERCOSUR—has the potential to create shared benchmarks, promote knowledge exchange, and help countries collectively address systemic weaknesses (Organization of American States, 2014). Ultimately, South America’s experience demonstrates that improving foundational skills demands not only on access to education but also sustained investment in the quality and equity of learning opportunities. To better understand effective approaches to reducing learning poverty, the following section examines specific country examples that illustrate both successful strategies and persistent challenges.

Case Studies

While this section will make general recommendations and evaluate what has worked in some countries, it is important to note the vast differences in political, economic, and social infrastructure in each and every country. This eliminates the idea that any one particular solution will work across the board. This is highlighted under the Africa analysis above from Zickafoose et al. stating it is important to incorporate local knowledge versus having blanket plans or proposals for education. The following section will look at several countries, evaluating what they are doing well and what they continue to emphasize moving into the future. 

Broadly, tackling learning poverty demands comprehensive, sustained, and context-specific policy interventions. Governments must increase funding for early-grade education, ensuring that literacy development becomes a national priority. Investments should focus on improving school infrastructure, providing high-quality learning materials, and strengthening early childhood development programs, which form the foundation for later learning. Second, teacher training must be prioritized. Teachers are an influential factor in improving literacy outcomes, and ongoing professional development is essential for equipping them with effective instructional strategies. Third, technology should be leveraged as a powerful tool for expanding access to education. Digital learning solutions—whether through mobile devices, radio-based instruction, or community learning centers—can help reach remote or underserved populations, particularly in regions with limited school infrastructure. 

The following paragraphs will discuss the countries of Singapore, Finland, Canada, and Argentina. This broad look across 4 continents will present a thorough look into what works well, irrespective of physical geography. All three of Singapore, Finland, and Canada have very low rates of learning poverty, learning deprivation, and schooling deprivation. They all have established educational plans with governmental systems in place that support them. Argentina is the exception with high rates of learning poverty and learning deprivation, yet a very low schooling deprivation rate. Therefore, we will evaluate each country individually and what policies and practices they have in place. 

Singapore

In Singapore, the education system is recognized for its strong academic results and structured approach to learning, but it also increasingly emphasizes holistic engagement and differentiated pathways that support diverse learners. Singapore’s Ministry of Education has incrementally shifted from a narrow focus based solely on academic achievement toward broader student development. The government centralizes policy control and infrastructures to create an efficient system, making high-quality public education available to all under the Compulsory Education Act of 2000, while simultaneously decentralizing the system to develop schools into learning organizations that are continuously improving with minimal governmental intervention (Kwek et al., 2023). These policy initiatives and long-term governmental support place education at the center of childhood development, emphasizing the importance of being able to read and engage in other subject learning. 

When faced with challenges, the Singaporean government is prepared and equipped to quickly and efficiently respond. The Singapore education system was able to adapt to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by switching to full home-based learning through the rapid deployment of technological resources to needy families allowing all access to virtual learning resources (Kwek et al., 2023). Having the support of the government with financial means and support to back it up can drastically improve the ability of all children in learning to read and write. When teachers are given the proper training and resources, they are able to effectively perform their jobs, providing academic support through tailored instruction, developed worksheets, and additional resources when needed. These elements contribute to high student engagement and strong international performance, and are part of a system that seeks to leave no learner behind while still maintaining high expectations for all.

Finland

At the heart of the Finnish system is a strong commitment to educational equity, student well-being, and teacher professionalism. The Finnish Basic Education Act guarantees free education for all pupils, including free school meals, which not only supports physical well-being but also helps ensure that socio-economic circumstances do not hinder a student’s ability to learn. Teachers in Finland are required to hold advanced qualifications (often a master’s degree) and are granted substantial autonomy in the classroom, allowing them to tailor instruction based on ongoing formative assessments rather than relying primarily on frequent high-stakes testing. At the national level, the government’s strategic plan outlines high-level educational goals over a 4-year timeline with the Finnish parliament passing educational legislation, while the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) administers policies across all sectors, from early childhood to adult learning (Al-Thani, 2024). National policies provide guiding principles and frameworks while allowing regional and local customization flexibility based on specific needs. Equality and equity are the guiding principles of Finland’s education system, which operates within national curriculum frameworks to promote fair and high-quality education for all students (Al-Thani, 2024). 

Schools in Finland offer individualized education plans that allow students to progress at their own pace. This is intended to support both high achievers and students who may need extra help. The emphasis on professional teaching practice and individualized learning helps teachers identify and address learning gaps early, supporting students who might otherwise fall behind. The curriculum’s focus on holistic development—including critical thinking, creativity, and life skills—together with a low-pressure testing environment, fosters a culture where students are more engaged and less stressed, further reducing disparities in educational outcomes. Moreover, educational governance in Finland is collaborative and decentralized, involving stakeholders across national, regional, and local levels to ensure policies reflect diverse community needs, reinforcing the system’s equity focus.

Canada

Canada’s educational approach heavily prioritizes inclusivity and engagement, though its decentralized nature means implementation varies by province and territory. Canadian educational goals explicitly align with international frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goal 4, aiming to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all students throughout their lives. The Government of Canada works with provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners in building a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) system, so all families have access to high-quality, affordable, flexible and inclusive early learning and childcare no matter where they live in Canada (Government of Canada, 2024). Canada's ambition under this goal is to ensure Canadians have access to inclusive and quality education throughout their lives.

Many provinces have developed Inclusive Education Policies that define inclusion as an approach that promotes belonging, respects diversity, and accommodates individual learner needs within mainstream classrooms. Organizations like Inclusion Canada are working to fight for even more access to schooling, particularly for those disabled. Segregated classrooms, seclusion rooms, limited access to educational supports, inaccessible spaces, and low expectations are just some of the ways children with an intellectual disability are excluded and discriminated against in Canadian schools. Without access to quality inclusive education, people with an intellectual disability have limited employment and post-secondary opportunities and are more likely to live in poverty (Inclusion Canada, 2025). Across Canada, schools also increasingly implement Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and supportive services such as counseling, psychological support, and career guidance, ensuring that students with diverse learning needs have access to tailored support and opportunities to succeed. 

Despite these strengths, all three countries, Singapore, Finland, and Canada, face ongoing challenges in fully eliminating learning poverty and inequities. In Canada, certain groups—such as Indigenous students and students with disabilities—remain underrepresented in equitable educational outcomes, and advocacy groups continue to push for improvements in access and culturally responsive education. Singapore’s high-performance culture can create pressure that may widen achievement gaps if not balanced with adequate support for struggling students. Finland, while equity-focused, must continually ensure that its relaxed testing environment and autonomy translate into consistent support for all learners in increasingly diverse classrooms. Nevertheless, all three countries experience high levels of student involvement with low learning poverty levels, highlighting the positive effect their efforts have made. 

Argentina

Argentina presents an interesting case study, with high learning poverty and learning deprivation rates of 59.1 and 58.9 percent respectively, yet a very low schooling deprivation rate of 0.5 percent. This highlights a fundamental issue within the schooling system in Argentina, where students are in schools yet not gaining the skills necessary to read and comprehend simple textual sentences. This can be explained by a range of different factors, including teaching challenges, curriculum challenges, and more. 

A prominent challenge in Argentina includes poor learning environments with multi-grade teaching, where a teacher must teach children from multiple grades, ages, and abilities in the same classroom (The World Bank, 2024).This presents a set of challenges for teachers, having to allocate time and energy across a range of topics as opposed to focusing in on a set curriculum. These disparities translate into persistent gaps in basic literacy development, despite formal access to education. Over the last decade, Argentina has also been suffering from staglearning – no growth in learning, despite high levels of spending on education (Holland, 2016). With more money being spent on education in Argentina without similar positive trends on learning outcomes, an alarming picture is painted. This highlights that money alone is unable to solve problems surrounding education. Instead, consistent government support with an established plan in place is crucial. 

The quality of instruction and curriculum implementation also plays a major role, where the lack of formative assessment practices and limited teacher professional development can constrain students’ ability to develop foundational reading skills. In such environments, time spent in school does not automatically produce learning gains, especially for children who start school with disadvantages or who encounter learning difficulties early on. Similarly, household and community factors, including poverty, limited access to early childhood education, and unequal access to supplementary learning resources like books and tutoring, can compound learning challenges and widen gaps in reading proficiency.

Conclusion 

Learning poverty remains a critical global challenge with far-reaching consequences for human capital development, economic growth, and long-term societal stability. The analysis conducted across six continents reveals significant disparities: while regions such as Europe have achieved substantial success in reducing learning poverty, Africa, several parts of Asia, and large portions of the Americas continue to face deep and persistent educational crises. These disparities reflect differences in national investments, policy priorities, and social conditions. The research emphasizes that addressing learning poverty is not solely an educational goal—it is a developmental imperative. Without the ability to read and understand basic text by age ten, children face lifelong disadvantages that limit their opportunities and perpetuate cycles of poverty. The global community must therefore view learning poverty as a shared responsibility, requiring coordinated efforts to ensure that every child, regardless of geography or economic status, has access to quality foundational education.

Countries with low learning poverty consistently prioritize early-grade literacy, invest heavily in teacher training and professional autonomy, maintain coherent and well-aligned curricula, and embed equity into education governance. Case studies of Singapore, Finland, and Canada demonstrate that strong governmental commitment, inclusive education policies, and proactive responses to educational disruptions—such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic—are central to ensuring that children acquire foundational skills by age ten. In contrast, Argentina’s experience highlights a critical cautionary lesson: high levels of educational spending and near-universal enrollment do not automatically translate into learning gains. Persistent learning deprivation in Argentina reflects systemic challenges related to instructional quality, curriculum implementation, teacher support, and socioeconomic inequality, reinforcing the concept of “staglearning” and emphasizing the need for coherent, long-term educational strategies rather than isolated investments.

Ultimately, this study highlights that reducing global learning poverty requires a fundamental shift from focusing primarily on schooling access toward prioritizing learning quality, equity, and early intervention. Policies must center on strengthening early literacy instruction, supporting teachers through sustained professional development, addressing contextual barriers such as poverty and language diversity, and using data-driven monitoring to guide reform. Learning poverty is not an inevitable condition but a solvable challenge when governments commit to evidence-based, context-sensitive solutions. As education systems worldwide continue to recover from pandemic-related disruptions and confront future demographic and technological changes, addressing learning poverty must remain a global priority. Ensuring that every child can read and understand simple text by the end of primary school is not only an educational imperative but a necessity for building more equitable, resilient, and prosperous societies.

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