Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria
Nigeria: Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female was 50.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria, 1970–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria is 50.7%, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria peaked at 51.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.2%, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 143rd of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 18.2% | — |
| 1972 | 18.6% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 29.4% | +58.7% |
| 1982 | 20.0% | -32.0% |
| 1986 | 28.5% | +42.1% |
| 1988 | 31.2% | +9.6% |
| 1989 | 32.0% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 32.6% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 31.8% | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 33.5% | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 34.5% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 36.0% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 35.7% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 37.5% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 38.7% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 33.3% | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 38.4% | +15.5% |
| 2004 | 35.7% | -7.1% |
| 2005 | 35.7% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 38.2% | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 34.1% | -10.7% |
| 2008 | 39.5% | +15.6% |
| 2010 | 47.9% | +21.3% |
| 2018 | 45.8% | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 51.2% | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 50.7% | -1.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 50.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 45.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 50.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.8%, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +58.7% | 18.6% | 29.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.4% | 18.2% | 18.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 28.2% | 20.0% | 32.0% | 5 |
| 1990s | 34.0% | 31.8% | 36.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 36.8% | 33.3% | 39.5% | 9 |
| 2010s | 46.8% | 45.8% | 47.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 50.9% | 50.7% | 51.2% | 2 |
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 percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria?
- Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female in Nigeria was 50.7% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.2% in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female?
- Nigeria ranks 143rd out of 210 countries with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. 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 Percentage of teachers in secondary education who are female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release