Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest was 67.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
67.9%
Change on year
down 11.3%
World rank
11th
of 42 countries
All-time high
84.6%
in 2013
All-time low
60.9%
in 2003
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria stood at 67.9%.
That represents a change of down 11.3% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria peaked at 84.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 60.9%, in 2003.
That places Nigeria 11th out of 42 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 60.9% | — |
| 2007 | 67.2% | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 71.2% | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 66.8% | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 84.6% | +26.7% |
| 2016 | 77.6% | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 76.6% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 67.9% | -11.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 67.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.8%, 1.2× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 67.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 71.9%, 95% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 66.5% | 60.9% | 71.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 66.8% | 84.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 67.9% | 67.9% | 67.9% | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Nigeria was 67.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 2013.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.9% in 2003.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest?
- Nigeria ranks 11th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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, poorest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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