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Aid spending on early years at record high, but investment on higher education remains 21 times higher

Funding Policy & Politics
There has been record aid spending on early years education, but millions of the world’s poorest children are still missing out on pre-school because of a ‘chronic’ lack of funding by donor countries, according to a new report.
The report for Theirworld reveals just 1.4 per cent of total education spending is invested in early years, PHOTO: Theirworld
The report for Theirworld reveals just 1.4 per cent of total education spending is invested in early years, PHOTO: Theirworld

Analysis by the University of Cambridge for global children’s charity, Theirworld, reveals that global aid for pre-primary education increased by 40 per cent between 2021 and 2022 to a record high of $282m.

World leaders told to invest more in the early years

However, the rise in aid was driven largely by one donor, the World Bank, which invested $181m on pre-primary education in 2022, almost two-thirds of total aid to pre-primary education. 

The analysis – A Turning Point? An updated scorecard on donor funding to pre-primary education - analyses data submitted by international donors to the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee Creditor System. 

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