Unesco found that in 2025 more was spent on servicing foreign debt than on education in 113 developing countries, with 18 nations spending five times more on debt and Sri Lanka spending up to 16 times more. In sub-Saharan Africa countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than on education. Unesco warned cuts to education aid are worsening the problem: low- and lower-middle-income countries lost 21% of education aid in 2023 and could lose up to 30% by 2027, while Afghanistan, Mali, Niger and Liberia have already lost more than 40% in three years. Min Jeong Kim, director of Unesco’s education division, said current approaches trap countries in a cycle of austerity, underinvestment and stalled development and weaken states' ability to handle debt over time. Debt Justice reported that repayments by poorer countries hit a 35-year high last year, with 56 countries spending nearly a fifth of total revenue on debt servicing, and policy director Tim Jones linked rising repayments to shocks from Covid, energy and interest rate rises and climate disasters. Unesco called for restructuring debt relief toward long-term arrangements that protect public service funding, and campaigners urged reforms including greater debt cancellation and legal changes so private creditors cannot block relief, with a specific push for action during the UK G20 presidency in 2027.
