Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both was 35.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
35.0%
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
55th
of 206 countries
All-time high
44.2%
in 2000
All-time low
31.4%
in 2008
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria stood at 35.0%.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria peaked at 44.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2008.
That places Nigeria 55th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 44.2% | — |
| 2001 | 43.1% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 41.9% | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 40.4% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 38.3% | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 35.5% | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 33.2% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 31.6% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 31.4% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 31.8% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 32.7% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 33.8% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 35.6% | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 37.8% | +6.2% |
| 2014 | 39.9% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 41.5% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 41.6% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 41.5% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 40.6% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 39.2% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 38.7% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 38.2% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 37.8% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 36.3% | -4.0% |
| 2025 | 35.0% | -3.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 35.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.0%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 35.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 52.2%, 67% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.1% | 31.4% | 44.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.6% | 32.7% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.5% | 35.0% | 39.2% | 6 |
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 youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Nigeria was 35.0% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 44.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2008.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both?
- Nigeria ranks 55th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release