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 24.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 24.3% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 38.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 24.3%, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 25th of 203 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 38.6% | — |
| 2000 | 36.0% | -6.8% |
| 2004 | 35.4% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 35.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 34.8% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 32.4% | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 38.9% | +20.1% |
| 2009 | 37.9% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 38.1% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 24.3% | -36.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 24.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.9%, 3.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 24.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 1.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 38.6% | 38.6% | 38.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 35.8% | 32.4% | 38.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 38.1% | 38.1% | 38.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% | 1 |
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 24.3% in 2023, 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 38.9% in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.3% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 25th out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- 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 36.2%. 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 (%). 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