The Girl Effect: When girls are given the opportunity, everyone benefits.
What happens when a girl gets a chance?
- When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
- Educated girls grow into educated women, who — research shows — have healthier babies and are more likely to educate their children.
- When girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.
- An extra year of primary school boosts girls' future wages by 10 to 20 percent.
- An extra year of secondary school boosts girl's future wages by 15 to 25 percent.
... and what happens when she doesn't.
- 70 percent of the world's 130 million out-of-school youth are girls.
- One girl in seven in developing countries marries before age 15; 38 percent marry before age 18.
- One-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before age 18.
- Pregnancy is the leading cause of death among girls ages 15 to 19 worldwide.
- Seventy-five percent of of HIV-infected youth in Africa are girls.
Download Full Fact Sheet with Sources
Want to know more? Download Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda here.
