Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Nigeria
Nigeria: Official entrance age to pre-primary education was 5 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 217 countries
All-time high
5 years
in 1999
All-time low
3 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 5 years for official entrance age to pre-primary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to pre-primary education in Nigeria peaked at 5 years in 1999 and was at its lowest, 3 years, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 3rd of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 years | +66.7% |
| 2000 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2 years | 3 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 1 Afghanistan 6 years compare
- 1 Niue 4 years compare
- 1 Saint Helena 4 years compare
- 1 Tanzania, United Republic of 6 years compare
- 3 Anguilla 3 years compare
- 3 Cook Islands 3 years compare
- 3 Algeria 5 years compare
- 3 Guam 5 years compare
- 3 Indonesia 5 years compare
- 3 Iran 5 years compare
- 3 Liechtenstein 5 years compare
- 3 Marshall Islands 5 years compare
- 3 Montserrat 3 years compare
- 3 Namibia 5 years compare
- 3 Philippines 5 years compare
- 3 North Korea 5 years compare
- 3 Tokelau 3 years compare
- 3 United States Virgin Islands 5 years compare
More education data for Nigeria
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.66 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 6.16 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.31 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -64.76 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 1.51 million (2011)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 8.52 % change on previous year (2011)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 504,448 (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 408,857 (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 608,519 (2011)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.32 % change on previous year (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to pre-primary education in Nigeria?
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education in Nigeria was 5 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 5 years in 1999.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to pre-primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 years in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for official entrance age to pre-primary education?
- Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to pre-primary education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 Official entrance age to pre-primary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release