Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Nigeria
Nigeria: Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both was 71.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Nigeria, 2006–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Nigeria stood at 71.0%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is up 8.6% on the previous year and up 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Nigeria peaked at 71.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 59.5%, in 2006.
That places Nigeria 106th out of 137 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 59.5% | — |
| 2016 | 63.3% | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 61.6% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 65.1% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 65.3% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 71.0% | +8.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 71.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.7%, 1.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 71.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.2%, 1.5× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 59.5% | 59.5% | 59.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 63.3% | 61.6% | 65.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 68.1% | 65.3% | 71.0% | 2 |
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 educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Nigeria?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Nigeria was 71.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 71.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5% in 2006.
- How does Nigeria rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Nigeria ranks 106th out of 137 countries with data for 2024.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.2%. 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 Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release