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 64.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
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 64.4% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in 2021.
The figure is up 15.3% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria peaked at 70.0% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 42.3%, in 2016.
That places Nigeria 4th out of 25 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 49.4% | — |
| 2008 | 49.0% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 70.0% | +42.6% |
| 2013 | 52.3% | -25.3% |
| 2016 | 42.3% | -19.0% |
| 2018 | 55.8% | +31.8% |
| 2021 | 64.4% | +15.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 64.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 43.8%, 1.5× the median. (8 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.2% | 49.0% | 49.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 55.1% | 42.3% | 70.0% | 4 |
| 2020s | 64.4% | 64.4% | 64.4% | 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 64.4% 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 70.0% in 2011.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.3% in 2016.
- How does Nigeria rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, urban?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 25 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 8.0%. 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, urban, poorest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release