Children in many of the world’s wealthiest countries saw marked declines in their academic performance, mental wellbeing, and physical health in the period since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analysis published today by UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight.
Report Card 19: Child Wellbeing in an Unpredictable World compares data from 2018 and 2022, offering a perspective on how the COVID-19 pandemic and global shutdowns affected children in 43 OECD and EU countries. Since the last comparable Report Card five years ago, the Netherlands and Denmark retained their rankings as the top two places to be a child, based on measures of mental wellbeing, physical health, and skills, followed by France.
However, the report warns many countries experienced sharp declines in children’s academic skills following the pandemic – particularly foundational abilities such as reading and mathematics. School shutdowns of between three and 12 months forced many children to learn remotely and led to learning losses. The extent to which children are behind where they should be academically is estimated to be between seven months and one year, on average, the report says. Setbacks were most severe for children from disadvantaged families.
“Prior to the pandemic, children were already struggling on multiple fronts, and didn’t have access to adequate support – even in wealthy countries,” said UNICEF Innocenti Director, Bo Viktor Nylund. “Now, in the face of rising economic uncertainty, countries need to prioritise children’s education, health and wellbeing to secure their lifetime prospects and happiness, as well as our societies’ economic security.”
Across the 43 countries, an estimated 8 million 15-year-olds – around half of the age group – were assessed as not functionally literate and numerate, meaning they could not understand a basic text, raising concerns about their long-term prospects. This is a four per cent increase since 2018, and the proportions were highest in Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus and Mexico, where more than two-thirds of 15-year-olds were in this category.
The report also raises concerns around mental health, pointing out that children’s life satisfaction suffered during this time, declining substantially in 14 of 32 countries with available data. Japan was the only country to see a marked improvement in this area.
The report goes on to analyse data on children’s physical health, noting that levels of overweight increased substantially in 14 out of 43 countries with available data, continuing a long-term trend.
Overall, the report indicates that high-income countries may find it challenging to provide children with the conditions for a good childhood and a positive future. Pointing to the pandemic’s impact on children, the report warns that hard-won progress in child wellbeing in wealthy countries is becoming increasingly vulnerable to global events and shocks, such as climate change.
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