Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male was 23.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Nigeria, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Nigeria stood at 23.2%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Nigeria peaked at 32.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 23.2%, in 2023.
That places Nigeria 26th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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, male in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 32.9% | — |
| 2000 | 30.2% | -8.3% |
| 2004 | 30.7% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 30.6% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 31.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 25.2% | -18.6% |
| 2008 | 32.6% | +29.5% |
| 2009 | 31.9% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 32.5% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 23.2% | -28.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 23.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.6%, 2.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 23.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.2%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.9% | 32.9% | 32.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 30.3% | 25.2% | 32.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 32.5% | 32.5% | 32.5% | 1 |
| 2020s | 23.2% | 23.2% | 23.2% | 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, male in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male in Nigeria was 23.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 32.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.2% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male?
- Nigeria ranks 26th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, male rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. 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, male (%). 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