International Day of Education: Tracking global progress with open
data
Every year on 24 January, the International Day of Education
[https://www.unesco.org/en/days/education] reminds the world of
education’s central role in global development. Since its
proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, the day
has highlighted how access to quality education supports peace,
reduces inequalities and drives progress for communities everywhere. 

The right to education was already recognised in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
[https://www.ohchr.org/en/universal-declaration-of-human-rights],
which calls for free and compulsory primary education for all
children. This principle was strengthened in 1989 through the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that higher
education should be available and accessible to every young person.
When the United Nations [https://www.un.org/en/] introduced the 2030
agenda for Sustainable Development, education became central to
achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 4
explicitly focusing on inclusive and equitable quality education. 

Open datasets available via The European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/en] provide valuable insights into barriers
faced by learners around the world. Data on for example gender gaps in
schooling
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=gender%20gaps%20in%20schooling&locale=en],
youth unemployment
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=youth+unemployment&locale=en&page=1],
refugee education
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=refugee+education&locale=en&page=1],
and rural‑urban disparities
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=rural%E2%80%91urban+disparities+&locale=en&page=1]
can help highlight where educational inequalities persist. By
visualising and analysing these trends, decision‑makers gain a
clearer understanding of which communities require additional support
and how to design interventions that expand access to learning. 

Are you interested in exploring how data can support better education
systems? Visit The European Data Portal [https://data.europa.eu/en] to
discover open datasets on literacy, school infrastructure, digital
skills, public spending and more.  

For more news and events, follow us on X/Twitter
[https://twitter.com/EU_opendata] and LinkedIn
[https://www.linkedin.com/company/publications-office-of-the-european-union/],
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[https://data.europa.eu/dashboard/en/community/collaboration-channel].

Publication Date/Time
2026-01-24T09:00:00+00:00
Strengthening global efforts to achieve inclusive and equitable
learning for all