Facts on Children
in South Asia
Sources: 2011 Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR); UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 2011 Global Education Digest
The South Asia Region
Kashmir
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Nepal
Bhutan
Bhutan
India
South Asia Countries :
• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
Maldives
Note that UIS and GMR data includes the Islamic Republic of Iran when computing for South Asia regional averages
Children 0-14 years old account for a third (31.5%) of the
total population in South Asia
Child population as a percentage of the total population, 2010
UNICEF believes that
nurturing and caring for
children are the
cornerstones of human
progress. UNICEF works
with others to overcome
the obstacles of poverty,
violence, disease and
discrimination facing
children in South Asia.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
46.4
36.2
31.3
29.4
30.6
26.6
10%
0%
Source: UN ESCAP Statistical Yearbook for Asia-Pacific 2011
35.4
24.9
The rest of the population
Child population as % of Total
Population
47.32 million children
are enrolled in preprimary programs in
South Asia, 48% of
them are girls.
Pre-primary enrolment in South Asia has substantially
increased to 47% in 2009 from 21% in 1999. Yet access is
limited to children from urban areas and richer families.
UNICEF supports many actions to improve early childhood education and development.
UNICEF is committed to giving every child a good start in life. Its work in early years
learning will have the biggest impact on children who come from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
198 million
There are 198 million children
enrolled in primary education in
South Asia in 2009.
Of the millions who go to school,
many still lack basic literacy and
numeracy skills due to poor quality
education.
UNICEF works with governments and partners in the region to provide quality basic
education for all. UNICEF aims to create inclusive child-friendly learning environments to
bring out-of-school children into the system and keep those in school from dropping out.
South Asia has the highest number of children in primary schools
worldwide, accounting for 28% of global primary school enrolments.
UNICEF focuses on the marginalized, excluded and vulnerable children to ensure they have
a good quality basic education.
18 million
18 million primary schoolaged children are not in
school in South Asia, the
second highest by region
next to Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Past trends indicate that
over 40% of these out of
school children will never
enter school; half of the
children who are out-ofschool have dropped out.
UNICEF works with governments and partners to
assess the actual size and scope of the out-ofschool population, identify the underlying causes of
education exclusion and determine effective
measures to keep children in school.
22.9 million The estimated number of primary school aged
children who are not attending school in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka alone.
Data is based on the most recent household surveys in these countries which
are part of the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children led by UNICEF and
UIS.
Country
Primary-School
Aged children
not attending
School
Lower Secondary
School Aged
Children not
Attending School
Total Number Source
of Children not
Attending
School
Bangladesh 2,574,172
3,008,212
5,582,384
MICS 2006
India
14,594,739
9,833,443
24,428,183
NSSO 2008
Pakistan
5,721,690
3,516,161
9,237,851
PSLM 2008
Sri Lanka
37,333
42,717
54,570
DHS 2006
Total
22,911,081
16,391,906
39,302,988
Note: Percentages calculated using UNPD population data; Pakistan uses PSLM
136 million
There are 136 million students
enrolled in secondary
education in South Asia in
2009. It is the second highest
number globally, after East
Asia and Pacific with 163
million.
UNICEF works with governments and partners in the region to provide quality basic
education, which in many countries in South Asia includes lower secondary education.
UNICEF aims to help children, particularly the marginalized and vulnerable, move up to
secondary education from primary. It is also concerned with the development and human
rights of adolescents.
9.2 years
9.2 is the average number of years girls and
women in South Asia are expected to stay
in school compared with 10.2 for males.
The world average for women is 10.7 years.
The school life expectancy rates in South
Asia have the same pattern as in the Arab
States where women have lesser number
of years of education at 9.4 years compared
with males at 10.6.
UNICEF works with governments and partners in the region to promote gender equality in
education. UNICEF aims to reduce gender and other disparities to ensure that both boys and
girls stay in school and complete quality basic education.
Let’s work
together to
give millions of
children in Asia
a chance for a
better future!