Gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: Gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes was 89.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
89.6%
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
189th
of 217 countries
All-time high
110.6%
in 1982
All-time low
25.6%
in 2015
Years of data
47
1970–2023
Gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria stood at 89.6%.
The figure is up 6.9% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 110.6% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 25.6%, in 2015.
That places Nigeria 189th out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.9% | — |
| 1971 | 45.2% | +7.8% |
| 1972 | 49.6% | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 51.1% | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 49.0% | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 59.9% | +22.1% |
| 1978 | 76.0% | +26.9% |
| 1979 | 89.3% | +17.5% |
| 1980 | 94.2% | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 101.6% | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 110.6% | +8.9% |
| 1983 | 110.3% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 109.1% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 102.8% | -5.8% |
| 1986 | 89.6% | -12.8% |
| 1987 | 85.9% | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 81.8% | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 79.8% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 83.1% | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 82.3% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 86.7% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 91.3% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 87.4% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 76.8% | -12.2% |
| 1999 | 91.6% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 95.5% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 92.5% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 93.7% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 94.8% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 95.8% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 96.3% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 96.7% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 88.1% | -8.9% |
| 2008 | 79.3% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 80.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 79.8% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 84.7% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 85.9% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 87.8% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 84.1% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 25.6% | -69.6% |
| 2016 | 78.9% | +208.5% |
| 2018 | 81.6% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 84.4% | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 83.8% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 89.6% | +6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.8% | 41.9% | 89.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 96.6% | 79.8% | 110.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 86.4% | 76.8% | 91.6% | 8 |
| 2000s | 91.3% | 79.3% | 96.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.1% | 25.6% | 87.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 85.9% | 83.8% | 89.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 186 American Samoa 89.9% compare
- 187 Macau, China 89.8% compare
- 188 Eritrea 89.7% compare
- 190 Paraguay 89.4% compare
- 191 Chad 88.5% compare
- 192 Puerto Rico 87.9% compare
More education data for Nigeria
- 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)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 33.42 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.18 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria?
- Gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes in Nigeria was 89.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 110.6% in 1982.
- What is the lowest gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.6% in 2015.
- How does Nigeria rank for gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 189th out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. 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 Gross enrolment ratio, primary, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release