Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle was 13.2% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
13.2%
Change on year
down 18.6%
World rank
7th
of 33 countries
All-time high
38.7%
in 2007
All-time low
10.6%
in 2011
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 13.2% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle in 2021.
That represents a change of down 18.6% on the previous year and up 24.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle in Nigeria peaked at 38.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2011.
Nigeria ranks 7th of 33 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 32.6% | — |
| 2007 | 38.7% | +18.8% |
| 2008 | 23.1% | -40.2% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | -54.2% |
| 2013 | 18.0% | +69.7% |
| 2016 | 23.6% | +31.4% |
| 2018 | 16.2% | -31.3% |
| 2021 | 13.2% | -18.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 13.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.4%, 1.6× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 13.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.9%, 1.1× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.5% | 23.1% | 38.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 17.1% | 10.6% | 23.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 13.2% | 13.2% | 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, urban, middle in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle in Nigeria was 13.2% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 38.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2011.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle?
- Nigeria ranks 7th out of 33 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, middle rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.7%. 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, urban, middle 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