Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 33.8% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
33.8%
Change on year
down 4.7%
World rank
10th
of 45 countries
All-time high
42.1%
in 2016
All-time low
27.2%
in 2019
Years of data
10
2003–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nigeria, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 33.8% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.7% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nigeria peaked at 42.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 27.2%, in 2019.
That places Nigeria 10th out of 45 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 32.3% | — |
| 2007 | 37.6% | +16.4% |
| 2008 | 34.0% | -9.4% |
| 2011 | 30.4% | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 39.6% | +30.2% |
| 2016 | 42.1% | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 27.2% | -31.0% |
| 2021 | 35.5% | +30.8% |
| 2024 | 33.8% | -4.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 33.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.4%, 1.4× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 33.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.4%, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.6% | 32.3% | 37.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 35.7% | 27.2% | 42.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 34.7% | 33.8% | 35.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
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 out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Nigeria was 33.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 42.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.2% in 2019.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Nigeria ranks 10th out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, rural, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release