Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 9 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
9
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
106th
of 214 countries
All-time high
9
in 2004
All-time low
0
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria is 9, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria peaked at 9 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1998.
Nigeria ranks 106th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 9 | — |
| 2005 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 9 | +0.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 9 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 9 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.4 | 0 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 106 Afghanistan 9 compare
- 106 Angola 9 compare
- 106 Albania 9 compare
- 106 Azerbaijan 9 compare
- 106 Bulgaria 9 compare
- 106 Bahrain 9 compare
- 106 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 compare
- 106 Brunei Darussalam 9 compare
- 106 China 9 compare
- 106 Cuba 9 compare
- 106 Cyprus 9 compare
- 106 Czechia 9 compare
- 106 Estonia 9 compare
- 106 Georgia 9 compare
- 106 Ghana 9 compare
- 106 Gambia 9 compare
- 106 Guinea-Bissau 9 compare
- 106 Greece 9 compare
- 106 Guatemala 9 compare
- 106 Hong Kong, China 9 compare
- 106 Indonesia 9 compare
- 106 Iran, Islamic Republic of 9 compare
- 106 Japan 9 compare
- 106 Kazakhstan 9 compare
- 106 Kyrgyzstan 9 compare
- 106 Kiribati 9 compare
- 106 Korea 9 compare
- 106 Kuwait 9 compare
- 106 Lao People's Democratic Republic 9 compare
- 106 Libya 9 compare
- 106 Latvia 9 compare
- 106 Macau, China 9 compare
- 106 Morocco 9 compare
- 106 Republic of Moldova 9 compare
- 106 Mali 9 compare
- 106 Montenegro 9 compare
- 106 Mauritania 9 compare
- 106 Panama 9 compare
- 106 Saudi Arabia 9 compare
- 106 Sierra Leone 9 compare
- 106 El Salvador 9 compare
- 106 Slovenia 9 compare
- 106 Sweden 9 compare
- 106 Syrian Arab Republic 9 compare
- 106 Thailand 9 compare
- 106 Tajikistan 9 compare
- 106 Timor-Leste 9 compare
- 106 Tunisia 9 compare
- 106 Tuvalu 9 compare
- 106 Viet Nam 9 compare
- 106 Yemen 9 compare
- 106 South Africa 9 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 number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Nigeria was 9 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2004.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1998.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Nigeria ranks 106th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release