Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nigeria
Nigeria: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 0.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nigeria, 1974–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nigeria stood at 0.3%. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nigeria peaked at 3.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2023.
That places Nigeria 198th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 3.2% | — |
| 1975 | 3.1% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -82.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -11.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -10.0% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -14.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | -8.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 8% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 10% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -82.1% | 3.1% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 |
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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nigeria?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Nigeria was 0.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Nigeria ranks 198th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release