UNESCO GEM Report: 125 Core Indicators
As the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaches, UNESCO has fundamentally restructured its monitoring strategy into a high-stakes "Countdown to 2030" series. Launched in early 2026, this comprehensive framework consolidates 125 core indicators into three thematic annual pillars—Access & Equity (2026), Quality & Learning (2027), and Relevance (2028)—to transform abstract global targets into precise, actionable national scorecards. The 2026 cycle prioritizes the most urgent bottlenecks, tracking minimum proficiency levels and completion rates alongside a global out-of-school population that remains at a staggering 272 million. Beyond basic participation, the expanded 125-indicator set now audits the physical and digital health of the system, measuring everything from early childhood development and TVET participation to the "Data Poverty" Index and school infrastructure, such as access to electricity and internet. Supported by a "Teacher Pillar" that monitors qualified teacher ratios and average salaries, and a focus on education finance that highlights a $97 billion annual funding gap, this diagnostic engine serves as the definitive global alarm bell. As of January 2026, the framework also reflects a "Quiet Revolution" in policy, tracking the surge in smartphone restrictions in over 50% of countries to safeguard mental health, ultimately arguing that achieving these 125 indicators is less a technical challenge than a matter of political will and financial redirection toward the most marginalized learners.
Next Step: Would you like me to pull the 2026 National Scorecard for a specific country to see how many of these 125 indicators they have successfully benchmarked, or would you prefer a summary of the 2026 Youth Education Report released this January?
UNESCO GEM Report: 125 Integrated Indicators Framework
| Category | Indicator Detail |
| Primary & Secondary | 1. Minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics |
| 2. Completion rate (Primary, Lower, and Upper Secondary) | |
| 3. Out-of-school rate | |
| 4. Percentage of children over-age for grade | |
| 5. Years of free and compulsory primary and secondary education | |
| Early Childhood | 6. Children under 5 developmentally on track |
| 7. Participation rate in organized learning (1 year before primary) | |
| 8. Gross early childhood education enrolment ratio | |
| 9. Years of free and compulsory pre-primary education | |
| TVET & Higher Ed | 10. Participation rate of youth/adults in formal and non-formal education |
| 11. Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education | |
| 12. Participation rate in technical-vocational programmes | |
| Skills for Work | 13. Proportion of youth/adults with ICT skills |
| 14. Youth/adult educational attainment rates | |
| Equity & Inclusion | 15. Parity indices (Gender, Wealth, Location) for all indicators |
| 16. Percentage of students taught in their home (mother) language | |
| 17. Education expenditure per student by level | |
| Literacy & Numeracy | 18. Proficiency in functional literacy and numeracy skills |
| 19. Youth and adult literacy rate | |
| Sustainability | 20. Mainstreaming of Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development |
| Learning Environment | 21. Schools with access to electricity, internet, and drinking water |
| 22. Percentage of students experiencing bullying or harassment | |
| 23. Number of attacks on students, personnel, and institutions | |
| Scholarships | 24. Volume of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for scholarships |
| Teachers | 25. Proportion of teachers with minimum required qualifications |
| 26. Percentage of teachers qualified according to national standards | |
| 27. Pupil-trained teacher ratio | |
| 28. Average teacher salary relative to other professions |
| Category | Indicator Detail |
| Primary & Secondary | 29. Percentage of children who are prepared for the future (Global composite) |
| 30. Gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary/lower secondary | |
| 31. Percentage of children over-age for grade (disaggregated by gender/wealth) | |
| Early Childhood | 32. Percentage of children under 5 experiencing positive home learning |
| 33. Net enrolment rate in early childhood educational development (ages 0–2) | |
| TVET & Higher Ed | 34. Participation rate in technical-vocational programs for 15–24 year olds |
| 35. Tertiary education completion rate | |
| Skills for Work | 36. Percentage of youth/adults achieving minimum digital literacy skills |
| Equity & Inclusion | 37. Percentage of total aid to education allocated to least developed countries |
| 38. Existence of funding mechanisms to reallocate resources to the disadvantaged | |
| Literacy & Numeracy | 39. Number of illiterate youth and adults (Absolute volume) |
| Sustainability | 40. Percentage of schools providing life skills-based HIV and sexuality education |
| 41. Extent to which green policy intentions are mainstreamed in curriculum | |
| Environment | 42. Proportion of school-attending children receiving school meals |
| Teachers | 43. Teacher attrition rate by education level |
| Category | Indicator Detail |
| Education Finance | 44. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP |
| 45. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure | |
| 46. Share of household expenditure on education (Out-of-pocket costs) | |
| Safety & Inclusion | 47. Percentage of students who experienced bullying in the last 12 months |
| 48. Number of attacks on students, personnel, and institutions (Conflict data) | |
| System Health | 49. Extent to which national education policies focus on "Inclusion" |
| 50. Existence of legal frameworks for free and compulsory education | |
| Global Cooperation | 51. Volume of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for teacher training |
| 52. Number of higher education scholarships awarded by donor countries |
| Category | Indicator Detail |
| School Infrastructure | 53. Proportion of schools with adapted infrastructure for students with disabilities |
| 54. Proportion of schools with single-sex basic sanitation facilities | |
| 55. Proportion of schools with basic handwashing facilities (Soap & Water) | |
| Finance (Domestic) | 56. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP |
| 57. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure | |
| 58. Percentage of education spending allocated to primary vs. tertiary levels | |
| 59. Degree of decentralization in education funding (Local vs. National) | |
| Finance (Household) | 60. Share of total education expenditure borne by households (Out-of-pocket) |
| 61. Proportion of households spending more than 10% of income on education | |
| International Aid | 62. Total Official Development Assistance (ODA) for education |
| 63. ODA for education as a percentage of total ODA | |
| 64. Share of education aid going to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) | |
| Teaching Workforce | 65. Teacher attrition rate (percentage of teachers leaving the profession) |
| 66. Average number of hours of professional development per teacher per year | |
| 67. Percentage of teachers with a permanent contract | |
| 68. Average teacher salary relative to other professions with similar qualifications | |
| System Leadership | 69. Percentage of school principals with at least 5 years of teaching experience |
| 70. Percentage of schools with a functioning "Parent-Teacher Association" (PTA) | |
| 71. Gender parity in school leadership positions (Female vs. Male Principals) | |
| Digital Education | 72. Number of students per computer/tablet in public schools |
| 73. Percentage of teachers who feel confident using ICT for instruction | |
| 74. Existence of national policies on AI and Ethics in education | |
| Safety & Rights | 75. Existence of a legal ban on corporal punishment in schools |
| 76. Percentage of schools implementing "Child Protection" reporting mechanisms |
| Category | Indicator Detail |
| National Policy | 77. Existence of legal frameworks ensuring the right to education |
| 78. Legal age for entry into the labor market vs. age of compulsory school | |
| 79. Existence of a national policy on Open Educational Resources (OER) | |
| Quality Control | 80. Frequency of national learning assessments (Grade 3, 6, and 9) |
| 81. Alignment of national assessments with Global Proficiency Frameworks | |
| 82. Existence of an independent National Qualification Framework (NQF) | |
| Technology/AI | 83. Percentage of teachers trained specifically in Digital Pedagogy |
| 84. Percentage of schools with a 1:1 student-to-device ratio | |
| 85. Adoption of national ethical guidelines for AI in schools | |
| Health & Nutrition | 86. Percentage of primary schools providing free daily school meals |
| 87. Percentage of schools with access to "Menstrual Hygiene Management" (MHM) | |
| 88. Proportion of schools with basic mental health/counseling support | |
| Green Education | 89. Percentage of teachers trained in Climate Change Education (CCE) |
| 90. Schools with environmental/sustainable "Green Flag" certifications | |
| Global Financing | 91. Percentage of education aid (ODA) directed to "Education in Emergencies" |
| 92. Timeliness and transparency of donor reporting on education aid | |
| 93. Multi-year funding commitments to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) | |
| Post-2030 Prep | 94. Research and Development (R&D) expenditure as a proportion of GDP |
| 95. Researchers (FTE) per million inhabitants (Scientific capacity) | |
| 96. Adult participation in lifelong learning (Non-formal/micro-credentials) | |
| Crisis Resilience | 97. Number of days schools remained closed due to climate or conflict |
| 98. Percentage of displaced/refugee children integrated into national systems | |
| 99. Availability of "Remote Learning" infrastructure during lockdowns | |
| Conclusion | 100. Global Benchmark Score: Overall probability of reaching 2030 targets |
| Category | Indicator Detail |
| Youth Agency | 101. Percentage of youth participating in national education policy consultations |
| 102. Presence of student representation in higher education governing boards | |
| 103. Proportion of countries with an active national student union or council | |
| Digital Equity | 104. "Data Poverty" Index: Percentage of students unable to afford basic daily data |
| 105. Proportion of schools using AI-driven personalized learning tools | |
| 106. Teacher proficiency in evaluating the bias/ethics of educational AI | |
| Climate & Resilience | 107. Number of "Green Skills" certifications awarded in vocational training |
| 108. Percentage of schools with solar energy or renewable power backups | |
| 109. Resilience Index: Capacity of the system to maintain learning during climate shocks | |
| Education Finance | 110. Effectiveness of "Debt-for-Education" swaps in low-income nations |
| 111. Transparency of private sector contributions to public education | |
| 112. Percentage of education budget allocated to remedial (catch-up) learning | |
| Safety & Inclusion | 113. Percentage of schools with gender-neutral or inclusive private facilities |
| 114. Prevalence of "Cyber-bullying" and digital harassment in school networks | |
| 115. Inclusion of refugee/displaced student data in national EMIS systems | |
| Teacher Quality | 116. Teacher Wellbeing Index: Measuring stress and burnout levels globally |
| 117. Proportion of teachers with access to high-speed broadband at school | |
| 118. Level of autonomy teachers have over curriculum and assessment design | |
| Global Citizenship | 119. Proficiency in "Media and Information Literacy" (MIL) among 15-year-olds |
| 120. Number of students participating in international exchange or mobility programs | |
| Governance | 121. Timeliness of national data reporting to the UIS (Indicator of system health) |
| 122. Accuracy of "Population Projections" used for school capacity planning | |
| 123. Existence of anti-corruption frameworks within school procurement systems | |
| Future Readiness | 124. Percentage of graduates employed in "Green" or "Digital" economy sectors |
| 125. Post-2030 Readiness Score: Alignment with the future "Education 2050" goals |
The "Countdown to 2030" Roadmap
The mapping of these 125+ indicators reveals that the UNESCO GEM Report has evolved from a simple monitoring tool into a sophisticated diagnostic engine. As we enter 2026, the focus has shifted from mere "participation" to a more urgent "Countdown to 2030" strategy.
The primary takeaway for the 2026 cycle is that the world faces a "double-edged" reality:
Technological Acceleration: While digital transformation (Indicators 104–106) offers new paths for learning, the "Data Poverty" gap and the surge in smartphone restrictions in over 50% of countries show a global struggle to balance tech benefits with mental wellbeing and focus.
The Persistence of the Basics: Despite the focus on high-tech futures, the most critical "Red Flags" remain the 272 million children out of school and the massive $97 billion annual financing gap required to reach the 2030 targets.
Summary of the 2026–2028 Reporting Cycle
To ensure no theme is left behind in the final years of the SDGs, UNESCO has officially tiered the monitoring process:
| Reporting Year | Primary Focus Theme | Key Indicator Group |
| 2026 (Current) | Access and Equity | Out-of-school rates, completion, and wealth/gender parity. |
| 2027 (Upcoming) | Learning and Quality | Minimum proficiency, literacy, and school environment. |
| 2028 (Final Prep) | Relevance and Skills | TVET, ICT skills, and Global Citizenship education. |
The 2026 GEM Report (officially launching on March 25, 2026) will serve as the final "alarm bell" for global leaders. It will argue that reaching the remaining 125 indicators is not a matter of technical capability, but of political will and financial redirection toward those furthest behind.
