Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest was 49.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
49.5%
Change on year
up 10.9%
World rank
1st
of 31 countries
All-time high
77.1%
in 2007
All-time low
32.7%
in 2013
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest in Nigeria stood at 49.5%.
That represents a change of up 10.9% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest in Nigeria peaked at 77.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 32.7%, in 2013.
That places Nigeria 1st out of 31 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 45.1% | — |
| 2007 | 77.1% | +71.1% |
| 2008 | 46.2% | -40.1% |
| 2011 | 49.0% | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 32.7% | -33.2% |
| 2016 | 49.5% | +51.4% |
| 2018 | 44.6% | -9.9% |
| 2021 | 49.5% | +10.9% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 49.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.7%, 5.1× the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 49.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.5%, 1.8× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.1% | 45.1% | 77.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 44.0% | 32.7% | 49.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 49.5% | 49.5% | 49.5% | 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, poorest in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest in Nigeria was 49.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 77.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.7% in 2013.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest?
- Nigeria ranks 1st out of 31 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, urban, poorest rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. 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, poorest 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