A world unprepared: Missing skills for development

Ensuring that all children in the world obtain at least basic skills is paramount for world development. This column combines multiple data sources from international tests to conduct a cross-country analysis of basic skills using a common achievement scale. It shows that the world is incredibly short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goal of universal quality education, as at least two thirds of the world’s youth do not even reach basic skill levels. This suggests a huge untapped source of global economic growth.