Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second was 32.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 32.7% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is down 10.7% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second in Nigeria peaked at 52.0% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 32.7%, in 2021.
That places Nigeria 5th out of 36 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 44.6% | — |
| 2007 | 52.0% | +16.7% |
| 2008 | 41.0% | -21.1% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -15.1% |
| 2013 | 37.8% | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 43.6% | +15.4% |
| 2018 | 36.6% | -16.1% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | -10.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 32.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.7%, 4.9× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 32.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.6%, 1.4× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.9% | 41.0% | 52.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 38.2% | 34.8% | 43.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 32.7% | 32.7% | 32.7% | 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, second in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second in Nigeria was 32.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 52.0% in 2007.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.7% in 2021.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second?
- Nigeria ranks 5th out of 36 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, second rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. 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, second quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release