20, Jul 2018

A recently released World Bank report said that restricted educational opportunities for girls, and obstacles to finishing 12 years of education cost countries between $15 trillion and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings. According to the report, less than two-thirds of girls in low-income countries finish primary school, and just one in three girls finishes lower secondary school. According to the report, worldwide, nine out of ten girls complete their primary education, but just three out of four girls complete their secondary education. On average, women who complete secondary education have a higher probability of working, and they make nearly double that of those who have no education. The report says that both girls and boys who do not finish secondary school have a high potential for lost earnings, but notes that “not educating girls is especially costly in part because of the relationships between educational attainment, child marriage, and early childbearing, and the risks that they entail for young mothers and their children.” Currently, around 132 million girls aged 6 to 17 are out of school around the world. The complete report, titled Missed Opportunities: The High Cost of Not Education Girls, may be read here.