School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Nigeria
Nigeria: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 3.17 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.17 million
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
3rd
of 222 countries
All-time high
3.20 million
in 2021
All-time low
803,917
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 3.17 million for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Nigeria peaked at 3.20 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 803,917, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 3rd of 222 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 803,917 | — |
| 1971 | 823,897 | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 846,526 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 870,421 | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 897,523 | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 925,992 | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 957,729 | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 997,709 | +4.2% |
| 1978 | 1.04 million | +3.9% |
| 1979 | 1.08 million | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 1.13 million | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 1.18 million | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 1.22 million | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 1.27 million | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 1.31 million | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1.35 million | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.38 million | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 1.41 million | +2.2% |
| 1988 | 1.44 million | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 1.48 million | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 1.50 million | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 1.52 million | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.54 million | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 1.56 million | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 1.60 million | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 1.65 million | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 1.68 million | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.72 million | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 1.76 million | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 1.81 million | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 1.86 million | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 1.93 million | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 1.98 million | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 2.03 million | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 2.08 million | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.16 million | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 2.25 million | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 2.33 million | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 2.41 million | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 2.48 million | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 2.55 million | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 2.63 million | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 2.71 million | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 2.78 million | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 2.86 million | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 2.93 million | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 3.00 million | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 3.06 million | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 3.11 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 3.15 million | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 3.19 million | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 3.20 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 3.19 million | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 3.19 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 3.18 million | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 3.17 million | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 923,787 | 803,917 | 1.08 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.32 million | 1.13 million | 1.48 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.63 million | 1.50 million | 1.81 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.15 million | 1.86 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.88 million | 2.55 million | 3.15 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.19 million | 3.17 million | 3.20 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 15.20 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 6.03 % change on previous year (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 913,305 (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 10.89 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 7.54 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 5.9 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 7.66 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 6.16 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.31 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual -64.76 % change on previous year (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Nigeria?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Nigeria was 3.17 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.20 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 803,917 in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. 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, one year before the official primary entry age, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release