Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest was 4.1% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
4.1%
Change on year
up 13.5%
World rank
9th
of 31 countries
All-time high
7.2%
in 2007
All-time low
0.7%
in 2003
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Nigeria stood at 4.1%.
The figure is up 13.5% on the previous year and up 181.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Nigeria peaked at 7.2% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2003.
That places Nigeria 9th out of 31 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 0.7% | — |
| 2007 | 7.2% | +899.2% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -65.7% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -41.4% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -18.5% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +14.2% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | +166.7% |
| 2021 | 4.1% | +13.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 4.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.7%, 1.1× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 4.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.3%, 94% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.5% | 0.7% | 7.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.2% | 3.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 6 Lesotho 4.9% compare
- 7 Sierra Leone 4.3% compare
- 8 Mozambique 4.3% compare
- 10 Bangladesh 4.0% compare
- 11 Honduras 3.7% compare
- 12 Malawi 3.0% 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, rural, richest in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest in Nigeria was 4.1% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 2007.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2003.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest?
- Nigeria ranks 9th out of 31 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, richest rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 181.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, rural, richest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release