Nearly twice as many girls are denied an education as boys. That is according to a new report by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The report was released to mark International Women’s Day on Tuesday. A lack of educational options “stunt the lives of girls and women from one generation to the next,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 9.5 million girls will never walk into a classroom, compared to 5 million boys, according to the UNESCO report. More than 30 million children aged six to 11 are out of school across the region. The gender gap is wider in South and West Asia, where 80 percent of girls will never enter formal education -- compared to 16 percent of boys, according to the report. Girls are the majority of the millions of children denied school in Arab nations, UNESCO said. But the organization said exact numbers are not available because of conflicts in the region.