A survey on the number of girls in education across the world has revealed that figures have dropped for the first time in a decade.

The research, carried out by The ONE Campaign, shows that the number of girls out of education has increased from 130.3 million to 130.9 million, based on a survey of 122 countries.

Hundreds of thousands of girls are now not being educated, in what is being described as a “global crisis”.

The Central African Republic, South Sudan and Niger are the worst areas affected.

The ONE Campaign research also reveals that these areas are some of the world’s most poorest countries, and several of them have been decimated by war, making it dangerous for any child to get an education.

Discussing the findings, Gayle Smith, president and CEO of The ONE Campaign said:“Over 130 million girls are still out of school — that’s over 130 million potential engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers and politicians whose leadership the world is missing out on. It’s a global crisis that perpetuates poverty.

“Across countries in Africa today millions of girls didn’t get to go to school, or walked long distances in dangerous conditions to get there, or sat in a classroom without a teacher or textbooks. This is not just about getting more girls into school, it’s about the women they grow up to be: educated, empowered and employed.”