{"id":2181,"date":"2026-07-13T16:01:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/13\/developing-countries-spend-more-repaying-foreign-debt-than-on-education-un-reveals\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:01:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:01:53","slug":"developing-countries-spend-more-repaying-foreign-debt-than-on-education-un-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2181","title":{"rendered":"Developing countries spend more repaying foreign debt than on education, UN reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"3a9d7191-d82f-4f71-b3c4-ea8a4d9c9a05\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A teacher talks to children in a classroom in Ghana. \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/1f3499a36b13998727100bda701915513e4c6156\/149_0_1890_1512\/master\/1890.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A school in Bolgatanga, Ghana. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than education last year.<\/span> Photograph: Unicef\/Noorani<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"3a9d7191-d82f-4f71-b3c4-ea8a4d9c9a05\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A school in Bolgatanga, Ghana. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than education last year.<\/span> Photograph: Unicef\/Noorani<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Developing countries spend more repaying foreign debt than on education, UN reveals<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Unesco report shows children lost out to servicing debt in 113 countries, with 18 spending five times more on loans<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Most developing countries spent less on education than they did repaying debt last year, according to the UN, at the same time as global aid to education is predicted to decline by up to 30%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">More was spent on servicing foreign debt than on education in 113 developing countries in 2025, according to research by the UN\u2019s culture and education agency, Unesco. In sub-Saharan Africa, <a href=\"https:\/\/unesdoc.unesco.org\/ark:\/48223\/pf0000398572\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than education<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The situation is likely to be exacerbated by funding cuts, the agency warned. Low- and lower-middle-income countries have already lost 21% of the aid to education they were receiving in 2023 and could lose up to 30% by 2027. Some countries \u2013 including Afghanistan, Mali, Niger and Liberia \u2013 have already lost more than 40% in three years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Min Jeong Kim, director of Unesco\u2019s education division, said: \u201cCurrent approaches really keep the countries trapped in a cycle of austerity, underinvestment and stalled development.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThis is really weakening countries\u2019 stances on economic growth, eroding domestic revenue mobilisation and ultimately also diminishing their ability to handle their debt over time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Eighteen of the most indebted countries spent five times the amount they did on education on debt \u2013 and <a href=\"https:\/\/unesdoc.unesco.org\/ark:\/48223\/pf0000398572\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">up to 16 times more in the case of Sri Lanka<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">According to the UK-based campaign group Debt Justice, <a href=\"https:\/\/debtjustice.org.uk\/press-release\/lower-income-country-debt-payments\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">repayments by poorer countries hit a 35-year high last year<\/a>, with 56 countries spending almost a fifth of their total revenue on servicing loans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Tim Jones, policy director at Debt Justice, said: \u201cCountries\u2019 debt payments have ballooned following a series of shocks from Covid, energy price and interest rate rises and climate disasters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cIn the worst-affected [countries], this is leading to cuts in spending on essential services such as health and education.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"4e6ba852-18b8-4eec-8e44-bc0ba78f3f90\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A female teacher stands in front of a blackboard teaching a class of children. \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/9206ada01115567fc07323ef4d0f95e9e2355d4a\/125_0_1827_1461\/master\/1827.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"355.8538587848933\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"4e6ba852-18b8-4eec-8e44-bc0ba78f3f90\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Lack of funding for schools is disrupting children\u2019s education. <\/span> Photograph: Mulugeta Ayene\/Unicef<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The situation has been made worse by aid cuts made by the US and Europe, which saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/gem-report\/en\/publication\/counting-loss\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">funding to education drop by $600m (\u00a3470m) in 2024<\/a>, the last recorded figures, and is expected to have fallen further in 2025.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"9baf4425-9165-41dd-974e-1fcb830db3f4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-11 | 11\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-rzyoqz\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/jul\/04\/overseas-education-project-for-women-and-girls-axed-by-uk-after-two-years\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Overseas education project for women and girls axed by UK after two years <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The combined impact of aid cuts and public spending being redirected to debt servicing has meant disruption to education systems, with schools often not receiving sufficient funds to operate and teachers not being paid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In the long term, there is concern that weakened education systems affect indebted countries\u2019 ability to develop their economies and better equip themselves to handle debt burdens in the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Unesco said there needed to be a change to how debt relief was structured, shifting away from short-term relief to long-term arrangements that allowed countries to continue funding public services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Jones said that another key factor in changing debt relief was ensuring that private lenders, often based in Britain and the US, were not able to block agreements to extract more profit for themselves, as <a href=\"https:\/\/debtjustice.org.uk\/press-release\/bondholders-will-be-paid-28-more-than-governments-after-ethiopia-debt-relief-deal\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">they recently did with Ethiopia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThe UK needs to use its presidency of the G20 in 2027 to get major changes to the debt-relief process, including more debt cancellation and a faster process,\u201d he said. \u201cCentral to this is incorporating the process into English law, so that private creditors can no longer disrupt and hold out from the debt relief.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/global-development\/global-education\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Global education<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/global-development\/series\/aid-cuts\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Aid cuts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/global-development\/aid\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Aid<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/debt-relief\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Debt relief<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/unitednations\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">United Nations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/education\/schools\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Schools<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/business\/global-economy\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Global economy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Developing%20countries%20spend%20more%20repaying%20foreign%20debt%20than%20on%20education,%20UN%20reveals&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/jul\/10\/developing-countries-spend-more-foreign-debt-education-aid-cuts-unesco?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fglobal-development%2F2026%2Fjul%2F10%2Fdeveloping-countries-spend-more-foreign-debt-education-aid-cuts-unesco&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=global-development\/2026\/jul\/10\/developing-countries-spend-more-foreign-debt-education-aid-cuts-unesco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A school in Bolgatanga, Ghana. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than education last year. Photograph: Unicef\/Noorani View image in fullscreen A school in Bolgatanga, Ghana. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2181\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2181\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}