Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Nigeria
Nigeria: Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 was 38.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
38.9%
Change on year
up 24.8%
World rank
1st
of 22 countries
All-time high
50.3%
in 2003
All-time low
14.1%
in 2011
Years of data
8
2003–2021
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 38.9% for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in 2021.
That represents a change of up 24.8% on the previous year and up 175.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Nigeria peaked at 50.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 2011.
Nigeria ranks 1st of 22 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 50.3% | — |
| 2007 | 33.4% | -33.7% |
| 2008 | 36.8% | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -61.6% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | +95.5% |
| 2016 | 25.7% | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 31.2% | +21.3% |
| 2021 | 38.9% | +24.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 38.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 37.2%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 38.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 26.2%, 1.5× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.2% | 33.4% | 50.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 14.1% | 31.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 38.9% | 38.9% | 38.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 2 Malawi 37.3% compare
- 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 37.2% compare
- 4 Sierra Leone 29.4% 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 percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Nigeria?
- Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Nigeria was 38.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 2011.
- How does Nigeria rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
- Nigeria ranks 1st out of 22 countries with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 175.4%. 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 Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, urban, poorest quintile, female (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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