Net enrolment ratios in primary education have increased to 86 per cent in the developing world, ranging from 95 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean to 64 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the sub-Saharan region has made significant progress since 1990/1991, in Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali and Niger, fewer than half the children of primary-school age are enrolled in school.

Faster progress will also be needed if Oceania and Western Asia are to achieve universal education. Southern Asia, in contrast, has made great strides, especially over the period 1999-2004, when enrolment rose from 72 to 89 per cent— largely as a result of progress in India.