With celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Tina Fey declaring that poverty is sexist, one of the obvious solutions offered by policy makers is to ensure all girls get to go to school. But as data from the recently released eAtlas of Gender Inequality in Education reveals, there’s plenty of work left to do before the education gender gap is closed. The eAtlas, produced by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, provides a snapshot of the educational opportunities available to girls and boys in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
“We will never achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals without overcoming the discrimination and poverty that stunt the lives of girls and women from one generation to the next,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in a statement. “We must work at all levels, from grassroots to global leaders, to put equity and inclusion at the heart of every policy so that all girls, whatever their circumstances, go to school, stay in school, and become empowered citizens.”
Here are nine facts from the eAtlas that reveal how wide the gender gap in education is—and where progress has been made.