In line with the Education 2030 Agenda, which commits countries to developing higher education systems that emphasise the recognition of all forms of learning and to offer flexible learning pathways (FLPs), the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) has carried out a comprehensive comparative research project to examine policies and practices facilitating and creating FLPs in higher education. The four-year research project conducted from 2018 to 2021 comprised a stocktaking exercise of good practice, an international survey of FLP policies, instruments and practices among UNESCO member states and eight in-depth country studies on Chile, Finland, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Morocco, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Given the focus in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on equitable higher education systems, the study pays particular attention to the effects of FLPs on disadvantaged groups.