Results in Education for All Children (REACH) : Annual Report 2018

Developing countries are investing heavily in education and providing their youth with unprecedented access to schooling. Globally, governments, households, and donors are estimated to spend a combined dollar 4.7 trillion on education each year. And spending continues to increase at a relatively rapid rate. Average government spending on education, for example, doubled in real terms between 1999 and 2015. Development assistance has also begun to increase after a period of relative stagnation, although it still represents a small fraction of total spending. Despite this growth, countries will have to make greater financial commitments in coming years to achieve national education goals and ensure that all students learn. Low- and middle-income countries are expected to need an additional dollar 191 billion to dollar 311 billion in total each year to achieve quality universal primary and secondary education and to meet the other education Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. REACH has been at the forefront of efforts to identify the ways in which results-based financing can strengthen education systems and improve education outcomes. It has helped countries to develop reliable data systems and build other capacity in government agencies and schools needed to effectively implement this financing approach. It also has worked to expand the knowledge base on the ways governments and development partners can use results-based financing to improve education outcomes and move closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for education.