Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Nigeria
Nigeria: Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS was 3.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Nigeria, 2012–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of total government spending on essential services in Nigeria is 3.0%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.3% on the previous year and down 67.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Nigeria peaked at 9.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2024.
Nigeria ranks 196th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8.5% | — |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 9.3% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | -28.1% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 5.1% | -12.4% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | -16.3% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -15.2% |
| 2024 | 3.0% | -18.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 3.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.5%, 21% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 3.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.4%, 21% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7.5% | 5.9% | 9.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 3.0% | 5.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 193 Timor-Leste 4.3% compare
- 193 East Timor 4.3% compare
- 195 Papua New Guinea 3.5% compare
- 197 South Sudan 0.0% 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 proportion of total government spending on essential services in Nigeria?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Nigeria was 3.0% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2024.
- How does Nigeria rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- Nigeria ranks 196th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 67.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education [UIS methodology] (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).