Population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria

Nigeria: Population of compulsory school age, male was 28.16 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
28.16 million
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
4th
of 197 countries
All-time high
28.16 million
in 2025
All-time low
16.24 million
in 2004
Years of data
22
2004–2025

Population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria, 2004–2025

010.0M20.0M30.0M2004201420252004: 16.2M2005: 16.7M2006: 17.2M2007: 17.7M2008: 18.3M2009: 18.9M2010: 19.5M2011: 20.1M2012: 20.8M2013: 21.5M2014: 22.2M2015: 22.9M2016: 23.5M2017: 24.2M2018: 24.9M2019: 25.5M2020: 26.1M2021: 26.6M2022: 27.1M2023: 27.6M2024: 27.9M2025: 28.2M

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

Analysis

In 2025, population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria stood at 28.16 million. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria peaked at 28.16 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.24 million, in 2004.

That places Nigeria 4th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Population of compulsory school age, male (number) in Nigeria, 2004 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2004 16.24 million
2005 16.68 million +2.7%
2006 17.17 million +2.9%
2007 17.71 million +3.2%
2008 18.28 million +3.2%
2009 18.88 million +3.3%
2010 19.50 million +3.3%
2011 20.13 million +3.2%
2012 20.79 million +3.3%
2013 21.47 million +3.3%
2014 22.17 million +3.3%
2015 22.88 million +3.2%
2016 23.55 million +2.9%
2017 24.21 million +2.8%
2018 24.87 million +2.7%
2019 25.48 million +2.5%
2020 26.07 million +2.3%
2021 26.63 million +2.1%
2022 27.13 million +1.9%
2023 27.55 million +1.6%
2024 27.89 million +1.2%
2025 28.16 million +0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 17.49 million 16.24 million 18.88 million 6
2010s 22.50 million 19.50 million 25.48 million 10
2020s 27.24 million 26.07 million 28.16 million 6

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 India 96.59 million compare
  2. 2 China 85.21 million compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 36.64 million compare
  4. 5 United States 26.14 million compare
  5. 6 Indonesia 22.12 million compare
  6. 7 Brazil 20.89 million compare

See the full ranking of 418 places →

More education data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria?
Population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria was 28.16 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of compulsory school age, male recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 28.16 million in 2025.
What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, male recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 16.24 million in 2004.
How does Nigeria rank for population of compulsory school age, male?
Nigeria ranks 4th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is population of compulsory school age, male rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of compulsory school age, male in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-male-number-2/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of compulsory school age, male (number)
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
418 places, 11,049 data points, 1974–2025
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release