Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female was 22.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria stood at 22.8%. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria peaked at 35.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 22.8%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 31st out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 35.1% | — |
| 2001 | 33.2% | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 32.3% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 32.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 32.3% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 32.5% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 32.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 32.9% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 32.7% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 32.4% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 31.7% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 31.1% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 30.9% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 30.6% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 30.3% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 29.9% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 29.6% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 29.3% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 28.6% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 27.8% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 26.9% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 26.0% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 25.2% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 24.4% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 23.7% | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 22.8% | -3.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 22.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.0%, 2.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 22.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.2%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.8% | 32.2% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.0% | 27.8% | 31.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 22.8% | 26.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 28 Micronesia, Federated States of 25.3% compare
- 29 Barbados 23.5% compare
- 29 Comoros 23.5% compare
- 32 Pakistan 22.7% compare
- 33 Syrian Arab Republic 21.5% compare
- 34 Madagascar 21.4% 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 out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Nigeria was 22.8% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 35.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.8% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female?
- Nigeria ranks 31st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. 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, female (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release