Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria
Nigeria: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 74.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria stood at 74.5%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 32.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria peaked at 74.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 54.7%, in 2008.
That places Nigeria 168th out of 190 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 55.6% | — |
| 2000 | 58.1% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 59.8% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 60.4% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 61.2% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 60.3% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 54.7% | -9.2% |
| 2009 | 55.8% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 56.1% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 74.5% | +32.9% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 74.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 90.6%, 82% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 74.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 86% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.6% | 55.6% | 55.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 58.6% | 54.7% | 61.2% | 7 |
| 2010s | 56.1% | 56.1% | 56.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 74.5% | 74.5% | 74.5% | 1 |
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria was 74.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 74.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.7% in 2008.
- How does Nigeria rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Nigeria ranks 168th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.9%. 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 (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.