UN highlights £17bn potential of girls’ education
Ensuring girls stay in school could boost the developing world economy by $21bn (£17bn) a year according to a new United Nations study.
The UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA) called on governments to introduce policies which ensure they do not miss out on the potential economic boost from their rapidly expanding and young populations.
UNFPA said young girls were less likely to complete formal education and more likely to be in poor physical and mental health across the developing world. It also found for every extra year of education beyond the age of 10, girls’ future income rises by an average of 12 per cent.
Read more: The developing world's international finance centres
With 90 per cent of the world’s 10-year old girls living in the developing world, executive director of the UNFPA Babatunde Osotimehin said: “How we invest in and support 10 year-old girls today will determine what our world will look like in 2030. With support from family, community and nation, and the full realisation of her rights, a 10 year-old girl can thrive and help bring about the future we all want.”
The UN said governments had to step up policies such as outlawing child marriages and offering cash handouts to poorer families so children could stay in school longer.