Net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria
Nigeria: Net attendance rate of primary school was 72.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria, 2003–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria stood at 72.1%.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria peaked at 75.2% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 61.9%, in 2007.
That places Nigeria 33rd out of 36 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 70.6% | — |
| 2007 | 61.9% | -12.3% |
| 2008 | 71.0% | +14.6% |
| 2011 | 75.2% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 71.1% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 66.4% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 71.8% | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 71.6% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 74.4% | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 72.1% | -3.1% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 72.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.6%, 77% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 72.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.0%, 86% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 67.9% | 61.9% | 71.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 71.2% | 66.4% | 75.2% | 5 |
| 2020s | 73.2% | 72.1% | 74.4% | 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 net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria?
- Net attendance rate of primary school in Nigeria was 72.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest net attendance rate of primary school recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 75.2% in 2011.
- What is the lowest net attendance rate of primary school recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.9% in 2007.
- How does Nigeria rank for net attendance rate of primary school?
- Nigeria ranks 33rd out of 36 countries with data for 2024.
- Is net attendance rate of primary school rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Net attendance rate of primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total number of students of the official age group for primary education who are attending school at any level of education, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population.