Qualifications frameworks are tools for describing qualifications of an education or training system by classifying them into levels. Each level provides a clear description of what the holder of a qualification knows, understands and is able to do. They are important tools for making qualifications transparent and comprehensible, within and across borders, and for promoting lifelong learning. This fifth edition of the "Global Inventory of National and Regional Qualifications Frameworks" consists of two volumes with up-to-date information, collected in 2020-21, on recent developments in this field destined for policy-makers, educators, researchers, and experts. This volume, Volume I, features a series of thematic chapters that identify emerging issues in qualifications systems, including the digitalization of qualifications systems, the validation of informal and non-formal learning and the increased use of microcredentials. A cross-country analysis of national case studies is presented, examining the objectives, functions and characteristics of national qualifications frameworks and their contributions to wider educational and training systems.