Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 27.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria stood at 27.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.0% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 38.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 24.8%, in 2011.
That places Nigeria 4th out of 47 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 29.4% | — |
| 2007 | 38.1% | +29.6% |
| 2008 | 29.0% | -23.8% |
| 2011 | 24.8% | -14.4% |
| 2013 | 28.9% | +16.5% |
| 2016 | 33.6% | +16.1% |
| 2018 | 28.2% | -16.0% |
| 2019 | 28.4% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 25.6% | -9.6% |
| 2024 | 27.9% | +9.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 27.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 4.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 27.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5%, 1.9× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.1% | 29.0% | 38.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 24.8% | 33.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 26.8% | 25.6% | 27.9% | 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 children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria was 27.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 38.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.8% in 2011.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 47 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, 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