Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes was 555,491 in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
555,491
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
10th
of 149 countries
All-time high
658,543
in 2005
All-time low
306,119
in 1999
Years of data
6
1999–2011
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes in Nigeria, 1999–2011
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 555,491 for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in 2011.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 81.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 658,543 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 306,119, in 1999.
That places Nigeria 10th out of 149 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top 10%.
Enrolment in tertiary education, ISCED 5 … tertiary 5 both sexes in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 306,119 | — |
| 2003 | 503,530 | +64.5% |
| 2004 | 526,147 | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 658,543 | +25.2% |
| 2010 | 548,217 | -16.8% |
| 2011 | 555,491 | +1.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 555,491 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35,247, 15.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 555,491 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11,470, 48.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 306,119 | 306,119 | 306,119 | 1 |
| 2000s | 562,740 | 503,530 | 658,543 | 3 |
| 2010s | 551,854 | 548,217 | 555,491 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
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 enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Nigeria?
- Enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes in Nigeria was 555,491 in 2011, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 658,543 in 2005.
- What is the lowest enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 306,119 in 1999.
- How does Nigeria rank for enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 10th out of 149 countries with data for 2011.
- Is enrolment in tertiary education, isced 5 programmes, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.5%. 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 tertiary education, ISCED 5 programmes, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release