Literacy rates among adults in Nigeria
Nigeria: Literacy rates among adults was 70.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Nigeria, 1991–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 70.4% for literacy rates among adults in 2024. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.5% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Nigeria peaked at 70.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 54.8%, in 2003.
That places Nigeria 71st out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.5% | 55.5% | 55.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 62.5% | 54.8% | 70.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 58.2% | 58.2% | 58.2% | 1 |
| 2020s | 66.8% | 63.2% | 70.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Duration of pre-primary education 1 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 5 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 89.6% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 913,305 (2021)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.38 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 88.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Nigeria?
- Literacy rates among adults in Nigeria was 70.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 70.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.8% in 2003.
- How does Nigeria rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Nigeria ranks 71st out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. 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) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.