Sustainability Education in School Curricula by Country

Sustainability education in school curricula measures what students actually learn about environmental issues, social justice, and global challenges. This indicator reflects whether schools systematically teach climate change, human rights, cultural diversity, sustainable development, and global citizenship across grade levels and subjects.

Understanding Curriculum Integration

This indicator measures the extent to which global citizenship education (GCED) and education for sustainable development (ESD) are mainstreamed in school curricula. While policies establish frameworks, curricula determine what students actually learn. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating stronger integration of these topics across grade levels, subjects, and educational stages.

Curriculum integration translates policy commitments into actual learning content. Countries with strong curriculum integration ensure that students encounter global citizenship and sustainability topics systematically throughout their education rather than in isolated lessons. This systematic approach builds deeper understanding and reinforces concepts through multiple contexts and subjects.

The global landscape shows 58 countries with measurable curriculum integration. Cuba (100%) leads globally, followed by France (99.1%), Romania (97.1%), and Bahrain (94.3%). Many countries cluster in the 80-95% range, indicating strong integration. At the lower end, Czechia (47.1%), United Kingdom (58.6%), Afghanistan (61.2%), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (61.2%) show weaker curriculum integration despite some having strong education systems overall.

Sustainability Education in School Curricula by Country

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#	Country	2020 Score
1	Cuba CU	100
2	France FR	99.1
3	Romania RO	97.1
4	Bahrain BH	94.3
5	Andorra AD	93.8
6	Brazil BR	93.8
7	San Marino SM	93.8
8	Slovenia SI	93.4
9	Cyprus CY	92.4
10	India IN	91.7
11	Ukraine UA	91.7
12	Malawi MW	90.6
13	Germany DE	90.4
14	Myanmar MM	90.1
15	South Korea KR	88.3
16	Colombia CO	88
17	Belgium BE	87.5
18	Burkina Faso BF	87.5
19	Italy IT	87.5
20	Kuwait KW	87.5
21	Malaysia MY	87.5
22	Türkiye TR	87.5
23	Dominican Republic DO	87.2
24	Latvia LV	86.5
25	Hungary HU	86.2
26	Lithuania LT	85.4
27	Estonia EE	83.3
28	Turkmenistan TM	82.8
29	Cambodia KH	82.3
30	Finland FI	81.3
31	Ireland IE	81.3
32	Peru PE	81.3
33	Sweden SE	80.5
34	Mauritius MU	80.2
35	Poland PL	80.2
36	DR Congo CD	79.7
37	Monaco MC	79.2
38	Nicaragua NI	79.2
39	Canada CA	78.1
40	Syria SY	77.1
41	Moldova MD	76.3
42	Jordan JO	75
43	Mongolia MN	75
44	Kyrgyzstan KG	74
45	Algeria DZ	72.9
46	Oman OM	72.9
47	Malta MT	72.4
48	Palestine PS	70.8
49	Armenia AM	70.1
50	Denmark DK	68.2
51	Bangladesh BD	66.1
52	Bulgaria BG	64.8
53	Slovakia SK	64.3
54	Burundi BI	62.5
55	Afghanistan AF	61.2
56	Saint Kitts and Nevis KN	61.2
57	United Kingdom GB	58.6
58	Czech Republic CZ	47.1

Regional Patterns

European countries show strong but varied curriculum integration. France (99.1%), Romania (97.1%), Slovenia (93.4%), and Andorra (93.8%) lead the region. Germany (90.4%), Spain (90.9%), and Belgium (87.5%) show solid integration. However, significant variation exists: United Kingdom (58.6%), Denmark (68.2%), and Czechia (47.1%) show weaker curriculum coverage. This suggests that even within Europe, curriculum prioritization of these topics varies substantially.

Latin American countries demonstrate strong curriculum integration. Cuba (100%) achieves perfect integration, while Brazil (93.8%), Colombia (88.0%), and Dominican Republic (87.2%) show strong coverage. This regional strength reflects curriculum reforms emphasizing social justice, environmental education, and preparation for global citizenship as responses to regional challenges.

Asian countries display wide variation. India (91.7%), Myanmar (90.1%), and South Korea (88.3%) show strong curriculum integration, while Cambodia (82.3%), Malaysia (87.5%), and Bangladesh (66.1%) demonstrate moderate coverage. This variation reflects different curriculum development approaches and priorities across the diverse region.

Middle Eastern countries show strong integration. Bahrain (94.3%) leads the region, followed by Kuwait (87.5%), Syria (77.1%), Jordan (75.0%), and Algeria (72.9%). These scores suggest that curriculum developers in the region are incorporating global citizenship and sustainability topics systematically, though implementation levels vary.

Implications and Challenges

Strong curriculum integration ensures systematic student exposure. Countries scoring above 90% have embedded global citizenship and sustainability topics throughout curricula, ensuring students encounter these concepts repeatedly across subjects and grade levels. This systematic exposure builds deeper understanding than isolated lessons or optional content.

However, curriculum integration faces implementation challenges. Written curricula do not automatically translate into classroom practice. Teachers need training, resources, and support to deliver curriculum content effectively. The gap between intended curriculum and implemented curriculum remains a challenge requiring ongoing professional development and instructional support.

Curriculum overcrowding complicates integration. Education systems face competing demands to include numerous topics. Integrating global citizenship and sustainability education requires difficult choices about curriculum priorities and time allocation. Countries achieving high scores typically address this through cross-curricular integration rather than separate subjects.