For every 100 boys who complete upper secondary education in rural India, only 59 girls reach the same level, according to UNESCO's 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report, pointing to a persistent gender gap in school completion despite progress in expanding girls' access to education.

The report, titled Gender Equity in Access to Education, places India's gender parity index for upper secondary completion at 0.89 nationally. The figure falls to 0.59 in rural areas, while urban India has reached parity, with an index of 1.0.

An index of 1 indicates equal completion rates for girls and boys. India's national figure therefore translates to 89 girls completing upper secondary education for every 100 boys. The rural figure indicates a much wider disparity.

The findings come as India has made progress in reducing the gender gap in education. UNESCO classifies the country as having made "fast progress" in upper secondary completion, having closed more than 65 per cent of its initial gender disparity since 2000. This assessment includes students completing their education within the expected age range as well as those completing it later.

However, the report cautions that national averages can conceal differences between communities and locations. "Average values hide gender gaps in rural areas and among poor households," UNESCO said in its report.

The rural-urban divide is also reflected in the wider challenges girls face in continuing their education through adolescence. Household financial pressures, the distance to secondary schools, transport costs, safety concerns and domestic responsibilities can affect attendance and completion. Early marriage and pregnancy can further interrupt girls' education.

UNESCO's 2026 gender report identifies early marriage and motherhood as continuing barriers to girls' education globally. Although the share of girls married before the age of 18 fell from 25 per cent in 2000 to 18 per cent in 2025, it remains at 25 per cent in Central and Southern Asia.

The report also points to the importance of practical support for girls who face interruptions in their education. Financial assistance alone may not be sufficient if students cannot afford transport, access safe sanitation facilities or return to school after pregnancy and childbirth.

The report draws on Indian research to assess the impact of interventions aimed at keeping girls in school. Studies found that free school meals had nearly twice the impact on primary enrolment among girls compared with boys in disadvantaged rural communities. Consistent access to school meals has also been associated with lower dropout rates, particularly among girls.

Separate toilets for girls have contributed to higher enrolment among adolescent girls, according to research cited by UNESCO. The report also refers to a randomised trial across 121 villages in Karnataka, where local clubs that helped girls develop life skills and social networks led to modest improvements in secondary school completion. Early marriage, however, continued to pose a challenge.

Recent Indian education data show improvements in school participation and retention. The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26 data show that girls account for 48.4 per cent of total school enrolment. The secondary-stage dropout rate declined from 8.2 per cent in 2024-25 to 7 per cent in 2025-26, while the retention rate increased from 47.2 per cent to 51.9 per cent.

These figures measure enrolment, dropout and retention across the school system and are not directly comparable with UNESCO's gender-specific upper secondary completion index, which examines the proportion of girls and boys who complete the final grade of a particular education stage.

Women's participation in higher education has also increased. The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2023-24 recorded a female gross enrolment ratio of 31.2 per cent, compared with 28.9 per cent for men. The female higher education enrolment figure rose from 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.24 crore in 2023-24, an increase of 42.2 per cent.

India's higher education gender parity index stood at 1.08 in 2023-24, indicating that women's participation in higher education exceeded that of men. The contrast between these figures and the rural upper secondary completion data points to the need to address the barriers girls face before they reach college.

Globally, gender parity in enrolment has been achieved from pre-primary to upper secondary education, according to UNESCO. Yet an estimated 273 million children and young people remained out of school in 2024. The organisation said financial constraints, social stigma and inadequate support continue to prevent many girls from completing their education.