UNESCO report finds debt payments exceed education spending in 113 developing nations

UNESCO data reveal that 113 low‑ and middle‑income countries, representing about 6.1 billion people, now spend more on servicing sovereign debt than on public education. In low‑income economies, debt repayments are almost four times higher than education budgets, and in 18 of the most indebted states the gap widens to at least five‑fold.

A World Bank analysis shows these nations transferred $741 billion more to external creditors in principal and interest between 2022 and 2024 than they received in new financing, marking the largest net debt outflow in at least five decades. In 2024 alone, they paid a record $415 billion in interest. The fiscal pressure translates into overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school infrastructure, teacher shortages, unaffordable fees and higher dropout rates, as governments prioritize creditor claims over the right to education.