Children out of school, primary in Nigeria

Nigeria: Children out of school, primary was 9.07 million in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
9.07 million
World rank
1st
of 197 countries
All-time high
10.29 million
in 2010
All-time low
7.21 million
in 2000
Years of data
10
1999–2023

Children out of school, primary in Nigeria, 1999–2023

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M1999201120231999: 7.5M2000: 7.2M2004: 7.9M2005: 8.0M2006: 8.2M2007: 7.9M2008: 9.8M2009: 9.9M2010: 10.3M2023: 9.1M

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

In 2023, children out of school, primary in Nigeria stood at 9.07 million.

That represents a change of down 11.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in Nigeria peaked at 10.29 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.21 million, in 2000.

That places Nigeria 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.54 million 7.54 million 7.54 million 1
2000s 8.43 million 7.21 million 9.90 million 7
2010s 10.29 million 10.29 million 10.29 million 1
2020s 9.07 million 9.07 million 9.07 million 1

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 2 China, People's Republic of 8.25 million
  2. 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.23 million
  3. 4 Ethiopia, The Federal Democratic Republic of 4.24 million compare

See the full ranking of 202 places β†’

More education data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is children out of school, primary in Nigeria?
Children out of school, primary in Nigeria was 9.07 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 10.29 million in 2010.
What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 7.21 million in 2000.
How does Nigeria rank for children out of school, primary?
Nigeria ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Children out of school, primary in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/children-out-of-school-primary/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Children out of school, primary
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
202 places, 4,752 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.