Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria

Nigeria: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male was 3.08 million number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
3.08 million number
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
3rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
3.08 million number
in 2020
All-time low
791,711 number
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria, 1970–2020

1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M3.0M197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria is 3.08 million number, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 30.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria peaked at 3.08 million number in 2020 and was at its lowest, 791,711 number, in 1970.

That places Nigeria 3rd out of 206 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number) in Nigeria, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 791,711 number
1971 806,628 number +1.9%
1972 830,574 number +3.0%
1973 852,925 number +2.7%
1974 874,552 number +2.5%
1975 896,207 number +2.5%
1976 918,741 number +2.5%
1977 953,770 number +3.8%
1978 993,206 number +4.1%
1979 1.03 million number +4.1%
1980 1.07 million number +3.8%
1981 1.11 million number +3.1%
1982 1.15 million number +4.0%
1983 1.19 million number +3.7%
1984 1.23 million number +3.3%
1985 1.27 million number +2.9%
1986 1.30 million number +2.5%
1987 1.34 million number +3.2%
1988 1.38 million number +2.9%
1989 1.42 million number +2.6%
1990 1.45 million number +2.3%
1991 1.48 million number +1.8%
1992 1.51 million number +2.5%
1993 1.54 million number +2.1%
1994 1.57 million number +1.9%
1995 1.60 million number +1.6%
1996 1.62 million number +1.4%
1997 1.66 million number +2.3%
1998 1.70 million number +2.3%
1999 1.73 million number +2.2%
2000 1.77 million number +2.1%
2001 1.80 million number +1.9%
2002 1.86 million number +2.8%
2003 1.91 million number +3.0%
2004 1.97 million number +3.0%
2005 2.02 million number +2.9%
2006 2.08 million number +2.7%
2007 2.15 million number +3.3%
2008 2.22 million number +3.4%
2009 2.30 million number +3.4%
2010 2.37 million number +3.2%
2011 2.44 million number +2.8%
2012 2.51 million number +3.1%
2013 2.58 million number +2.9%
2014 2.65 million number +2.7%
2015 2.72 million number +2.5%
2016 2.78 million number +2.4%
2017 2.86 million number +2.7%
2018 2.94 million number +2.7%
2019 3.01 million number +2.5%
2020 3.08 million number +2.3%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 3.08 million number is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 120,878 number, 25.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 3.08 million number is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 181,214 number, 17.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 895,246 number 791,711 number 1.03 million number 10
1980s 1.25 million number 1.07 million number 1.42 million number 10
1990s 1.59 million number 1.45 million number 1.73 million number 10
2000s 2.01 million number 1.77 million number 2.30 million number 10
2010s 2.69 million number 2.37 million number 3.01 million number 10
2020s 3.08 million number 3.08 million number 3.08 million number 1

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 India 12.38 million number compare
  2. 2 China 9.30 million number compare
  3. 4 Pakistan 2.70 million number compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 2.46 million number compare
  5. 6 United States of America 2.07 million number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria?
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria was 3.08 million number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 3.08 million number in 2020.
What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 791,711 number in 1970.
How does Nigeria rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male?
Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 206 countries with data for 2020.
Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.1%. 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 the official entrance age to primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-the-official-entrance-age-to-primary-education-male-number/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Male population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the official entrance age to primary education. The official entrance age is the age at which students would enter a given programme or level of education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.