Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest was 20.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
20.5%
Change on year
down 12.2%
World rank
13th
of 42 countries
All-time high
30.3%
in 2003
All-time low
15.4%
in 2007
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 20.5% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest in 2021.
The figure is down 12.2% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest in Nigeria peaked at 30.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 15.4%, in 2007.
Nigeria ranks 13th of 42 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 30.3% | — |
| 2007 | 15.4% | -49.2% |
| 2008 | 23.0% | +49.7% |
| 2011 | 18.0% | -21.8% |
| 2013 | 27.2% | +50.7% |
| 2016 | 25.4% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 23.4% | -8.1% |
| 2021 | 20.5% | -12.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 20.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.4%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 20.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.4%, 68% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.9% | 15.4% | 30.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 23.5% | 18.0% | 27.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 20.5% | 20.5% | 20.5% | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, richest in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest in Nigeria was 20.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 30.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.4% in 2007.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest?
- Nigeria ranks 13th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, richest rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, richest 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