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The United Nations (UN) warned Friday that severe funding cuts threaten to reverse decades of progress as 5.8 million refugee children remained out of school in 2025.
According to UNHCR, 44 per cent of the world’s 13.1 million school-age refugee children lacked access to education last year.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih stressed that education provides crucial protection and opportunity, cautioning that shrinking humanitarian budgets risk closing doors for an entire generation.
While primary school enrolment among refugees reached 65 per cent in 2025, secondary school enrolment dropped sharply to just 32 per cent.
Tertiary education saw a record high of 11 per cent enrolment, but overall progress remains fragile.
UNHCR’s available funding plunged from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025, even as global displacement levels hovered near historic highs.
The agency faces an unprecedented shortfall, having secured only $2.7 billion—32 per cent—of its required $8.5 billion budget by late July.
As a result, UNHCR estimates that nearly 8.3 million refugees and forcibly displaced people risk losing vital assistance and protection services as international funding continues to dry up.
