Statistics are useful in many ways; in addition to enhancing one's understanding of a subject, they can provide persuasive evidence for a point of view. You can find statistics on just about any topic, but it helps to first ask yourself some key questions about the data you're seeking:
In other words, It's helpful to consider where you might reasonably expect to find the data - this can save you hours of fruitless searching.
By googling education statistics site:unesco.org, you can find publications like these: