Nigeria vs United States: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes

Nigeria
6.12 million
in 2025
United States
4.17 million
in 2025
Nigeria rank
3rd
United States rank
6th

School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes over time

  • Nigeria
  • United States
1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M6.0M197019972025

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 6.12 million against 4.17 million in United States, a difference of 1.96 million.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.5 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 55 shared years of data; in 1970 it was United States ahead.

Nigeria ranks 3rd and United States ranks 6th of 222 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 2 and United States in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria United States Difference Ahead
1970s 1.46 million 4.03 million 2.58 million United States
1980s 2.05 million 3.38 million 1.33 million United States
1990s 2.79 million 3.74 million 955,790 United States
2000s 3.48 million 4.17 million 693,557 United States
2010s 4.73 million 4.13 million 602,504 Nigeria
2020s 5.85 million 4.14 million 1.71 million Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes, Nigeria or United States?
Nigeria, at 6.12 million against 4.17 million in United States as of 2025.
What is the difference in school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes between Nigeria and United States?
1.96 million, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and United States?
55 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
How do Nigeria and United States rank globally for school age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes?
Nigeria ranks 3rd and United States ranks 6th of 222 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs United States: School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/school-age-population-last-grade-of-primary-education-both-sexes-number-2/nigeria/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, last grade of primary education, both sexes (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
443 places, 20,702 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release