Duration of compulsory education (years) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Duration of compulsory education (years) was 9 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
9 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
120th
of 206 countries
All-time high
9 years
in 2004
All-time low
9 years
in 2004
Years of data
22
2004–2025
Duration of compulsory education in Nigeria, 2004–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of compulsory education in Nigeria is 9 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Nigeria peaked at 9 years in 2004 and was at its lowest, 9 years, in 2004.
Nigeria ranks 120th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Duration of compulsory education (years) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9 years | — |
| 2005 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 years | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 9 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 9 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 years | 9 years | 9 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 120 Afghanistan 9 years compare
- 120 Albania 9 years compare
- 120 Azerbaijan 9 years compare
- 120 Bahrain 9 years compare
- 120 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 years compare
- 120 Brunei 9 years compare
- 120 China 9 years compare
- 120 Cuba 9 years compare
- 120 Estonia 9 years compare
- 120 Georgia 9 years compare
- 120 Gambia 9 years compare
- 120 Guinea-Bissau 9 years compare
- 120 Hong Kong 9 years compare
- 120 Indonesia 9 years compare
- 120 Iran 9 years compare
- 120 Japan 9 years compare
- 120 Kazakhstan 9 years compare
- 120 Kiribati 9 years compare
- 120 South Korea 9 years compare
- 120 Kuwait 9 years compare
- 120 Laos 9 years compare
- 120 Libya 9 years compare
- 120 Liechtenstein 9 years compare
- 120 Morocco 9 years compare
- 120 Mali 9 years compare
- 120 Montenegro 9 years compare
- 120 Mauritania 9 years compare
- 120 Nepal 9 years compare
- 120 Poland 9 years compare
- 120 Saudi Arabia 9 years compare
- 120 Sierra Leone 9 years compare
- 120 Slovenia 9 years compare
- 120 Syria 9 years compare
- 120 Thailand 9 years compare
- 120 Tajikistan 9 years compare
- 120 East Timor 9 years compare
- 120 Tunisia 9 years compare
- 120 Tuvalu 9 years compare
- 120 Yemen 9 years compare
- 120 South Africa 9 years compare
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 duration of compulsory education in Nigeria?
- Duration of compulsory education in Nigeria was 9 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 9 years in 2004.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 9 years in 2004.
- How does Nigeria rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Nigeria ranks 120th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Duration of compulsory education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release