Government expenditure on education, total in Nigeria
Nigeria: Government expenditure on education, total was 3.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on education, total in Nigeria, 2012–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on education, total in Nigeria is 3.0%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.3% on the previous year and down 67.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Nigeria peaked at 9.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2024.
Nigeria ranks 192nd of 193 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8.5% | — |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 9.3% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | -28.1% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | -12.4% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | -16.3% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -15.2% |
| 2024 | 3.0% | -18.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.5% | 5.9% | 9.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 3.0% | 5.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 189 Eritrea 5.4%
- 190 Timor-Leste 4.3% compare
- 191 Papua New Guinea 3.5% compare
- 193 South Sudan 0.0% compare
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, total in Nigeria?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Nigeria was 3.0% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2024.
- How does Nigeria rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Nigeria ranks 192nd out of 193 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.