Monitoring global refugee education data

Overview and Objectives

Purpose of monitoring refugee education

The purpose of monitoring refugee education is to illuminate how displacement affects access to learning and to track progress toward inclusive, quality education for all. By collecting and analyzing data on enrollment, completion, and learning outcomes among refugee learners, policymakers can identify bottlenecks, allocate resources more effectively, and design interventions that address the unique barriers faced by displaced students. Ongoing monitoring also enables timely responses to crises, helps measure resilience, and supports accountability to affected communities and international commitments.

Key stakeholders

Monitoring refugee education is a multi-stakeholder effort. Governments and ministries of education use data to plan schools, teachers, and curricula tailored for refugee children and youth. UN agencies such as UNESCO, UNHCR, and UNICEF provide standardized indicators and benchmarks, while non-governmental organizations, donors, and civil society organizations implement programs on the ground. Finally, refugee communities themselves contribute local knowledge, ensuring that data collection respects privacy, builds trust, and reflects lived experiences.

Scope and definitions

The scope encompasses learners who are refugees, asylum seekers, and other displaced youths within a country’s education system or in alternative settings. Clear definitions of status, age groups, and education levels are essential for cross-country comparisons. Consistent definitions also support disaggregation by gender, age, and socio-economic background, enabling a nuanced view of who is being reached and where gaps persist.

Global Data Landscape

UNESCO UIS datasets

UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS) provides standardized education indicators that support cross-country comparisons, including refugee status disaggregation. These datasets emphasize harmonized data collection, common reporting units, and open data practices. By aligning with international classifications, UIS enables trend analysis over time and benchmarking against SDG4 targets for displaced learners, fostering transparency and accountability across education systems.

UNHCR education data

UNHCR collects education-related information as part of its protection mandate, focusing on access to schooling, enrollment patterns, and the enrollment of refugee children and youth in host-country systems. Their datasets highlight enrollment gaps, school continuity during displacement, and transitions between education levels. This data informs protection responses, school placement decisions, and policy dialogue with hosting governments and partners.

UNICEF education indicators

UNICEF contributes indicators that center on the rights of all children to education, with attention to marginalized groups such as refugees. Indicators cover enrollment rates, learning outcomes, survival and repetition rates, and the quality of schooling environments. When applied to refugee populations, UNICEF indicators help illuminate disparities and guide targeted interventions to improve learning conditions and outcomes.

Data Sources and Indicators

Key metrics

Key metrics include access to education (enrollment by age, grade, and status), progression and attainment (grade repetition, progression to higher levels), and learning environments (teacher presence, school readiness, and safe learning spaces). Outcome measures such as literacy and numeracy proficiency, where available, provide insight into learning quality for displaced students.

Disaggregation by status, gender, age

Disaggregation by refugee status (refugee, asylum seeker, stateless, internally displaced), gender, and age is essential to reveal who is left behind. Disaggregated data helps target interventions for girls facing particular barriers, boys with delayed enrollment, or older youths seeking non-formal pathways to education. It also supports gender-informed policies and inclusive programming that addresses cultural and linguistic diversity among refugee communities.

Education levels (primary, secondary, tertiary)

Education levels are tracked across primary, secondary, and tertiary pathways. Refugee learners may encounter interruptions or transitions between systems, including host-country public schools, parallel refugee schooling, or alternative education programs. Monitoring these levels clarifies where enrollment gaps exist and where transitions are most likely to stall, informing targeted outreach and pathway designs.

Enrollment, attainment, transition rates

Enrollment rates show initial access to schooling, attainment reflects completion or qualification at each level, and transition rates capture movement from one level to the next. For refugees, transitions may be influenced by residential mobility, policy changes, and the availability of flexible or accelerated programs. Tracking these rates helps quantify the effectiveness of interventions and the overall trajectory of refugee education over time.

Methodologies and Standards

Definitions and ISCED alignment

Standard definitions and ISCED alignment ensure comparability across countries and programs. ISCED provides a common ladder of education levels, enabling consistent categorization of primary, secondary, and tertiary learning. Aligning refugee education indicators with ISCED also supports international reporting, monitoring, and SDG target tracking for displaced learners.

Data collection methods

Data collection combines administrative records from schools and ministries with household surveys, refugee registration data, and program dashboards. Where formal records are incomplete, triangulation from multiple sources helps verify enrollment and attainment figures. Strong data governance practices, privacy protections, and community engagement are essential for credible data collection in fragile contexts.

Imputation and uncertainty

Missing data is addressed through transparent imputation and statistical methods that quantify uncertainty. When disaggregated by status, gender, or age, gaps may be more pronounced; researchers apply appropriate modeling techniques and clearly communicate confidence intervals. Documenting assumptions and limitations is part of maintaining trust and ensuring policymakers understand the reliability of the indicators.

Data Quality and Gaps

Timeliness

Timeliness is critical for rapid response during crises. Real-time or near-real-time data refreshes allow education actors to adjust funding, deploy mobile learning interventions, and monitor ongoing displacement patterns. However, achieving timely data requires streamlined reporting processes, interoperable systems, and regular data validation cycles.

Coverage gaps

Coverage gaps arise where refugee populations are mobile, in informal settlements, or outside formal education systems. Data gaps also appear in areas with limited access to schools, weak civil registration, and inconsistent record-keeping for irregular or cross-border learners. Identifying and addressing these gaps is essential to prevent data-driven policy blind spots.

Validation processes

Validation combines automated checks with field verification. Cross-source reconciliation—comparing administrative records with household data, school rosters, and program records—improves accuracy. Regular audits and third-party reviews bolster credibility and help detect systematic biases that could distort policy decisions.

Visualization and Dashboards

Dashboards best practices

Effective dashboards present key refugee education indicators in clear, actionable formats. They incorporate disaggregations, trend lines, and geographic breakdowns while maintaining accessibility for diverse users. Best practices include consistent definitions, transparent methodologies, user-centered designs, and exportable data for deeper analysis.

Examples of dashboards

Examples range from country-level dashboards that track refugee enrollment in public schools to regional platforms that compare disparities across hosting nations. Visualizations commonly use status maps, age-structured cohort charts, and cohort transition flows to illustrate where education systems succeed and where targeted support is needed.

Policy and Planning Implications

Using data for resource allocation

Data-driven planning reallocates resources to where they are most needed. By identifying regions with low enrollment or high dropout risk among refugee learners, decision-makers can prioritize teacher recruitment, language support, classroom accommodations, and accelerated learning programs. Transparent data also supports advocacy, ensuring that refugee education remains a funding and policy priority.

SDG alignment and targets for refugees

Monitoring refugee education aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Disaggregated refugee indicators help track progress toward targets such as access, completion, learning outcomes, and equitable opportunities regardless of displacement status. Consistent reporting strengthens accountability to refugees and host communities alike.

Case Studies and Regional Insights

Middle East and conflict zones

In conflict-affected settings, disruptions to schooling are severe and prolonged. Case study insights highlight the value of flexible schooling options, temporary learning spaces, and bilingual or mother-tongue instruction to reduce learning losses. Data collection often emphasizes protection considerations and barrier mapping to ensure safe, inclusive learning environments.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa presents diverse contexts, from protracted displacement to large refugee settlements. Data initiatives here focus on scalable enrollment tracking, cross-border continuity of education, and community-based monitoring. Partnerships between governments, NGOs, and refugee-led organizations help tailor interventions to local needs and build trust in data processes.

Europe and integration

European contexts face the challenge of integrating refugees into national systems while preserving access to education for asylum-seeking and stateless learners. Data efforts emphasize registration accuracy, language support program uptake, and transition into mainstream schools or alternative pathways. Cross-country comparability supports policy learning and shared standards for refugee education across the region.

Capacity Building and Data Governance

Data stewardship

Strong data stewardship ensures that refugee education data are accurate, secure, and used ethically. Clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability mechanisms help sustain trust among donors, governments, and communities. Data governance also addresses privacy, consent, and the protection of sensitive information about vulnerable learners.

Training for data teams

Capacity-building initiatives equip data managers, statisticians, and program staff with skills in data collection, quality assurance, analysis, and visualization. Training programs should cover ISCED alignment, disaggregation methodologies, and best practices for communicating findings to policymakers and practitioners on the ground.

Future Directions

Improving data interoperability

Interoperability across data systems enhances the ability to combine education data with protection, health, and livelihoods information. Standardized data schemas, common identifiers for learners, and open data principles will support more comprehensive analyses and integrated policy responses to displacement crises.

Real-time data

Real-time or near-real-time data enables quicker program adjustments during emergencies and protracted displacement. Advances in mobile data collection, remote monitoring, and automated reporting can reduce lags between data collection and decision-making, helping to save learning days for refugees.

Trusted Source Insight

Trusted Source: UNESCO UIS provides standardized education indicators enabling cross-country comparisons, including refugee status disaggregation. It emphasizes harmonized data collection, capacity building, and open data to track progress toward SDG4 targets for displaced learners.

Trusted Summary: UNESCO UIS provides standardized education indicators enabling cross-country comparisons, including refugee status disaggregation. It emphasizes harmonized data collection, capacity building, and open data to track progress toward SDG4 targets for displaced learners.