School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 17.70 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17.70 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
4th
of 220 countries
All-time high
17.70 million
in 2025
All-time low
5.86 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria stood at 17.70 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 17.70 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.86 million, in 1970.
That places Nigeria 4th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.86 million | — |
| 1971 | 6.01 million | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 6.16 million | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 6.32 million | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 6.49 million | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 6.67 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 6.86 million | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 7.06 million | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 7.27 million | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 7.49 million | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 7.71 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 7.96 million | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 8.22 million | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 8.49 million | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 8.73 million | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 9.06 million | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 5.89 million | -35.0% |
| 1987 | 6.14 million | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 6.41 million | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 6.70 million | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 6.97 million | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 7.24 million | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 7.49 million | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 7.70 million | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 7.88 million | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 8.07 million | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 8.26 million | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 8.43 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 8.57 million | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 8.68 million | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 8.81 million | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 8.97 million | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 9.18 million | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 9.41 million | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 9.65 million | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 9.88 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 10.14 million | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 10.43 million | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 10.74 million | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 11.07 million | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 11.38 million | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 11.68 million | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 12.04 million | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 12.49 million | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 12.99 million | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 13.47 million | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 13.91 million | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 14.34 million | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 14.78 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 15.22 million | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 15.65 million | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 16.09 million | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 16.52 million | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 16.95 million | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 17.35 million | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 17.70 million | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.62 million | 5.86 million | 7.49 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.53 million | 5.89 million | 9.06 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.93 million | 6.97 million | 8.68 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.83 million | 8.81 million | 11.07 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.23 million | 11.38 million | 15.22 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.71 million | 15.65 million | 17.70 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 8.52 % change on previous year (2011)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 504,448 (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 408,857 (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 608,519 (2011)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 4.32 % change on previous year (2011)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 904,852 (2011)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 11.54 % change on previous year (2011)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria was 17.70 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 17.70 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.86 million in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.4%. 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, published as part of School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release