Last update 16 March 2020
An unprecedented number of children, youth and adults are not attending schools or universities because of COVID-19. Governments in 100 countries have announced or implemented the closure of educational institutions in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease (link is external). UNESCO is providing immediate support to countries as they work to minimize the educational disruption and facilitate the continuity of learning, especially for the most vulnerable.
According to UNESCO monitoring, 85 countries have closed schools nationwide, impacting over 776.7 million children and youth. A further 15 countries have implemented localized school closures and, should these closures become nationwide, hundreds of millions of additional learners will experience education disruption.
Country-wide school closures
Total number of countries: 85
Total number of learners affected: 776,741,846
|
Number of learners enrolled from pre-primary to upper- secondary education |
Number of learners enrolled in tertiary education programmes |
|
| Afghanistan |
9,608,795 |
370,610 |
| Albania |
520,759 |
131,833 |
| Algeria |
9,492,542 |
743,640 |
| Armenia | 437,612 | 102,891 |
| Austria |
1,278,170 |
430,370 |
|
Azerbaijan |
1,783,390 |
200,609 |
|
Bahrain |
247,489 |
44,940 |
| Bangladesh | 36,786,304 | 3,150,539 |
| Belgium |
2,457,738 |
526,720 |
| Bolivia |
2,612,837 |
-- |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
428,099 |
95,142 |
| Bulgaria | 974,469 | 249,937 |
| Burkina Faso | 4,568,998 | 117,725 |
| Chile | 3,652,100 | 1,238,992 |
|
China* (including Hong Kong and Macao) |
233,169,621 |
42,266,464 |
| Colombia | 9,124,862 | 2,408,041 |
| Croatia | 621,991 | 165,197 |
| Cyprus |
135,354 |
45,263 |
| Czechia |
1,715,890 |
352,873 |
|
Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
4,229,170 |
526,400 |
| Denmark |
1,185,564 |
312,379 |
| Ecuador |
4,462,460 |
320,765 |
| Egypt | 23,157,420 | 2,914,473 |
| El Salvador |
1,414,326 |
190,519 |
| Equatorial Guinea* | 160,019 | -- |
| Estonia |
224,987 |
47,794 |
| Ethiopia | 23,929,322 | 757,175 |
| France |
12,929,509 |
2,532,831 |
| Gabon | 468,362 | 10,076 |
| Georgia |
732,451 |
151,226 |
| Ghana | 9,253,063 | 443,693 |
| Greece |
1,469,505 |
735,027 |
| Honduras* |
2,018,314 |
266,908 |
| Hungary | 1,504,740 | 287,018 |
|
Iran (Islamic Republic of) |
14,561,998 |
4,073,827 |
| Iraq |
7,010,788 |
424,908 |
| Ireland |
1,064,091 |
255,031 |
| Israel |
2,271,426 |
210,041 |
|
Italy |
9,039,741 |
1,837,051 |
| Jamaica |
552,619 |
74,537 |
|
Japan* |
16,496,928 |
- |
| Jordan | 2,051,840 | 320,896 |
| Kenya |
13,751,830 |
562,521 |
|
Kuwait |
632,988 |
116,336 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1,443,925 | 217,693 |
| Latvia |
313,868 |
82,914 |
|
Lebanon |
1,132,178 |
231,215 |
| Libya | 1,510,198 | 375,028 |
| Lithuania |
460,257 |
125,863 |
| Luxembourg |
102,839 |
7,058 |
| Mauritania | 928,218 | 19,371 |
|
Mongolia |
870,962 |
155,248 |
| Montenegro | 111,863 | 23,826 |
| Morocco |
7,886,899 |
1,056,257 |
| Namibia | 689,520 | 56,046 |
| North Macedonia |
298,135 |
61,488 |
| Norway |
1,073,521 |
284,042 |
| Pakistan | 44,925,306 | 1,878,101 |
| Panama |
837,246 |
161,102 |
| Paraguay |
1,519,678 |
225,211 |
| Peru |
8,015,606 |
1,895,907 |
| Poland |
6,003,285 |
1,550,203 |
| Portugal |
2,028,254 |
346,963 |
| Qatar |
309,856 |
33,668 |
| Republic of Korea* |
7,044,963 |
3,136,395 |
| Republic of Moldova |
498,881 |
87,277 |
| Romania* |
2,951,879 |
-- |
| Rwanda | 3,388,696 | 75,713 |
| Saudi Arabia |
6,789,773 |
1,620,491 |
| Senegal |
3,475,647 |
184,879 |
| Serbia | 964,796 | 256,172 |
| Slovenia |
332,677 |
79,547 |
| South Africa | 13,496,529 | 1,116,017 |
| Spain |
7,696,101 |
2,010,183 |
| Sri Lanka | 4,917,578 | 300,794 |
| Sudan | 8,171,079 | 653,088 |
| Switzerland | 1,289,219 | 300,618 |
| Syrian Arab Republic |
3,491,113 |
697,415 |
| Tunisia | 2,479,163 | 272,261 |
| Turkey | 17,702,938 | 7,198,987 |
| Ukraine |
5,170,368 |
1,614,636 |
|
United Arab Emirates |
1,170,565 |
191,794 |
| Uzbekistan | 7,174,483 | 299,634 |
| Venezuela* |
6,866,822 |
-- |
| TOTAL | 670,786,551 | 105,955,295 |
Note (*): Figures correspond to number of learners enrolled at pre-primary, primary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary levels of education [ISCED levels 0 to 3], as well as at tertiary education levels [ISCED levels 5 to 8]. Enrolment figures based on latest UNESCO Institute of Statistics data. Bolivia and Venezuela: data on enrolment in tertiary education programmes is not available.
- China: schools have started opening, but the majority remain closed.
- Equatorial Guinea: data on enrolment in tertiary education programmes is not available.
- Honduras: While all schools are open, universities have the choice to remain open or not.
- Japan: Universities currently on school spring break, and hence closures not related to the coronavirus.
- Republic of Korea: Universities have postponed the beginning of the academic year by two weeks to 16 March. While classes are suspended, the campuses remain open.
- Romania: Most universities remain open.
- Venezuela: data on enrolment in tertiary education programmes is not available.
Localized school closures
Total number of countries: 15
Total number of learners potentially at risk (pre-primary to upper-secondary education): 552,306,721
Total number of learners potentially at risk (tertiary education): 89,711,921
| Bhutan | Districts of Thimphu, Paro and Punakha |
| Brazil | Federal District and State of São Paulo |
| Cambodia | Province of Siem Reap: Siem Reap city |
| Canada | Provinces of New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec |
| Costa Rica | Selected schools in the Provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José |
| Germany |
Selected schools in the States of Bavaria, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and the city of Berlin |
| India | Delhi-National Capital Region, State of Jammu: Jammu and Samba districts; State of Kerala: Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts |
| Indonesia | Jakarta city, Central Java and West Java |
| Palestine | West Bank |
| Philippines | Metropolitan Manila, Manila City, Bulacan Province, Cavite Province, Rizal Province and Cebu |
| Russian Federation | All schools in Lipetsk oblast |
| Slovakia | Selected schools in the regions of Bratislava, Košice Self-Governing, Trnava, Trenčín Self-Governing; and in several other towns across Slovakia |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Selected schools in the cities of Tetbury, Northwich, Middlesbrough, and Brixham |
| United States of America | Selected schools in the States of California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington |
| Viet Nam | All pre-primary, primary and lower secondary schools in Vietnam; and all upper-secondary institutions in the city of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city, Da Nang and Hai Phong, as well as provinces of Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Quang Nam, Quang Ninh, Son La, Thua Thien Hue, Tien Giang and Yen Bai. |
Note: Figures correspond to total number of learners enrolled at pre-primary, primary, lower-secondary, and upper-secondary levels of education [ISCED levels 0 to 3], as well as at tertiary education levels [ISCED levels 5 to 8] who could be affected should localized closures become countrywide. Enrolment figures based on latest UNESCO Institute of Statistics data.
