Enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria

Nigeria: Enrolment in primary education, female was 12.16 million number in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
12.16 million number
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
5th
of 203 countries
All-time high
12.66 million number
in 2013
All-time low
1.30 million number
in 1970
Years of data
42
1970–2016

Enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria, 1970–2016

2.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M1970199320161970: 1.3M number1971: 1.5M number1972: 1.7M number1973: 1.9M number1976: 2.0M number1977: 2.6M number1978: 3.5M number1979: 4.3M number1980: 4.7M number1981: 5.3M number1982: 6.0M number1983: 6.2M number1984: 6.3M number1985: 6.3M number1986: 5.8M number1987: 5.7M number1988: 5.4M number1989: 5.7M number1990: 5.9M number1991: 6.0M number1992: 6.5M number1993: 6.9M number1994: 7.1M number1995: 7.0M number1996: 6.4M number1999: 7.8M number2000: 8.4M number2001: 8.5M number2002: 8.8M number2003: 9.2M number2004: 9.6M number2005: 9.9M number2006: 10.4M number2007: 9.9M number2008: 9.2M number2009: 9.7M number2010: 10.1M number2011: 11.2M number2012: 12.0M number2013: 12.7M number2014: 12.5M number2016: 12.2M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2016, enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria stood at 12.16 million number.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and up 17.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria peaked at 12.66 million number in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.30 million number, in 1970.

That places Nigeria 5th out of 203 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

Enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Enrolment in primary education, female (number) in Nigeria, 1970 to 2016.
Year number Change
1970 1.30 million number
1971 1.50 million number +15.1%
1972 1.72 million number +14.8%
1973 1.86 million number +8.6%
1976 1.96 million number +5.4%
1977 2.63 million number +33.7%
1978 3.51 million number +33.8%
1979 4.26 million number +21.2%
1980 4.70 million number +10.3%
1981 5.30 million number +12.7%
1982 5.97 million number +12.7%
1983 6.15 million number +3.0%
1984 6.31 million number +2.5%
1985 6.33 million number +0.4%
1986 5.77 million number -8.9%
1987 5.73 million number -0.6%
1988 5.38 million number -6.1%
1989 5.72 million number +6.3%
1990 5.88 million number +2.7%
1991 6.03 million number +2.7%
1992 6.53 million number +8.2%
1993 6.94 million number +6.2%
1994 7.13 million number +2.8%
1995 7.01 million number -1.7%
1996 6.38 million number -9.1%
1999 7.85 million number +23.1%
2000 8.41 million number +7.2%
2001 8.46 million number +0.5%
2002 8.79 million number +3.9%
2003 9.18 million number +4.4%
2004 9.57 million number +4.2%
2005 9.93 million number +3.7%
2006 10.37 million number +4.5%
2007 9.89 million number -4.6%
2008 9.23 million number -6.7%
2009 9.71 million number +5.2%
2010 10.06 million number +3.6%
2011 11.20 million number +11.3%
2012 12.01 million number +7.2%
2013 12.66 million number +5.4%
2014 12.55 million number -0.9%
2016 12.16 million number -3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.34 million number 1.30 million number 4.26 million number 8
1980s 5.74 million number 4.70 million number 6.33 million number 10
1990s 6.72 million number 5.88 million number 7.85 million number 8
2000s 9.35 million number 8.41 million number 10.37 million number 10
2010s 11.77 million number 10.06 million number 12.66 million number 6

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 2 China 48.55 million number compare
  2. 3 Indonesia 14.06 million number compare
  3. 4 United States of America 12.21 million number
  4. 6 Pakistan 10.46 million number compare
  5. 7 Bangladesh 8.80 million number compare
  6. 8 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 8.07 million number compare

See the full ranking of 248 places →

More education data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria?
Enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria was 12.16 million number in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 12.66 million number in 2013.
What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, female recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 1.30 million number in 1970.
How does Nigeria rank for enrolment in primary education, female?
Nigeria ranks 5th out of 203 countries with data for 2016.
Is enrolment in primary education, female rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.2%. 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 Enrolment in primary education, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Enrolment in primary education, female in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/enrolment-in-primary-education-female-number/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Enrolment in primary education, female (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
248 places, 9,587 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of female students enrolled in public and private primary education institutions regardless of age.