Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) was 76.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
76.8%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
131st
of 165 countries
All-time high
76.8%
in 2025
All-time low
60.6%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Nigeria, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Nigeria stood at 76.8%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Nigeria peaked at 76.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 60.6%, in 1981.
Nigeria ranks 131st of 165 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 60.6% | — |
| 1982 | 61.0% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 61.3% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 61.7% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 62.1% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 62.4% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 62.8% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 63.2% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 63.5% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 63.8% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 64.2% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 64.5% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 65.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 65.5% | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 66.2% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 67.0% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 67.8% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 68.7% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 69.5% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 70.3% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 70.9% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 71.4% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 71.8% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 72.1% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 72.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 72.8% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 73.1% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 73.2% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 73.2% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 73.1% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 73.0% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 73.0% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 73.1% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 73.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 73.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 73.9% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 74.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 74.7% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 75.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 75.3% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 75.6% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 75.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 76.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 76.5% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 76.8% | +0.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 76.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86.1%, 89% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 76.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 62.1% | 60.6% | 63.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 66.2% | 63.8% | 69.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.1% | 70.3% | 73.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.7% | 73.0% | 75.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.0% | 75.3% | 76.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 74.51 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 75.68 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 912,245 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.08 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.24 million (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.20 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 33.42 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.18 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Nigeria?
- Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Nigeria was 76.8% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 76.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.6% in 1981.
- How does Nigeria rank for completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- Nigeria ranks 131st out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Completion rate, primary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release