Duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria
Nigeria: Duration of pre-primary education was 1 years in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
211th
of 223 countries
All-time high
3 years
in 1970
All-time low
1 years
in 1999
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria is 1 years, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria peaked at 3 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1999.
That places Nigeria 211th out of 223 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 years | -66.7% |
| 2000 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1 years | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 1 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3 years, 33% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 1 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3 years, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8 years | 1 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 1 years | 1 years | 1 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 211 Afghanistan 1 years compare
- 211 Algeria 1 years compare
- 211 Bermuda 1 years compare
- 211 Falkland Islands 1 years compare
- 211 Guam 1 years compare
- 211 Iran 1 years compare
- 211 Marshall Islands 1 years compare
- 211 Niue 1 years compare
- 211 Philippines 1 years compare
- 211 Saint Helena 1 years compare
- 211 Tanzania 1 years compare
- 211 United States Virgin Islands 1 years compare
More education data for Nigeria
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1466 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria?
- Duration of pre-primary education in Nigeria was 1 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of pre-primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest duration of pre-primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1999.
- How does Nigeria rank for duration of pre-primary education?
- Nigeria ranks 211th out of 223 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of pre-primary education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of pre-primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years that a child is expected to spend in pre-primary education, defined by country's official educational regulations or laws.