Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria
Nigeria: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban was 16.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
16.8%
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
18th
of 38 countries
All-time high
29.5%
in 2013
All-time low
16.8%
in 2021
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban 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, urban in Nigeria stood at 16.8%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria peaked at 29.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 2021.
Nigeria ranks 18th of 38 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 27.3% | — |
| 2007 | 22.2% | -18.5% |
| 2008 | 27.7% | +24.6% |
| 2011 | 18.9% | -31.9% |
| 2013 | 29.5% | +56.6% |
| 2016 | 25.3% | -14.4% |
| 2018 | 17.0% | -32.9% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | -1.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 16.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 30.2%, 56% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 16.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 42.1%, 40% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25.7% | 22.2% | 27.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 17.0% | 29.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 16.8% | 16.8% | 16.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 15 Kyrgyzstan 19.8% compare
- 16 Ghana 19.4% compare
- 17 Sierra Leone 18.5% compare
- 19 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 16.7% compare
- 20 Mexico 15.8% compare
- 21 Honduras 14.8% compare
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, urban in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria was 16.8% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 29.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.8% in 2021.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
- Nigeria ranks 18th out of 38 countries with data for 2021.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, urban, fourth 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