The amount of aid spent on pre-primary education in 2023 was the second highest since records began in 2002.

Following policy shifts and announcements in 2024 and early 2025, the world’s youngest are at a critical crossroads – will they be left behind?

This report by the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre for Theirworld tracks donor performance in pre-primary education, examining the period from 2022 to 2023 while placing trends in a longer-term perspective.