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 19.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
19.8%
Change on year
down 29.8%
World rank
15th
of 34 countries
All-time high
44.1%
in 2003
All-time low
19.7%
in 2011
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
Nigeria recorded 19.8% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in 2021.
The figure is down 29.8% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria peaked at 44.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 2011.
Nigeria ranks 15th of 34 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 | 44.1% | — |
| 2007 | 32.0% | -27.4% |
| 2008 | 30.8% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 19.7% | -36.2% |
| 2013 | 35.4% | +80.2% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | -18.0% |
| 2018 | 28.2% | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | -29.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 19.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33.4%, 59% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 19.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.0%, 52% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.6% | 30.8% | 44.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 28.1% | 19.7% | 35.4% | 4 |
| 2020s | 19.8% | 19.8% | 19.8% | 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, urban in Nigeria?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria was 19.8% 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 44.1% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 2011.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
- Nigeria ranks 15th out of 34 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 up 0.5%. 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, middle 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