School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 24.05 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
24.05 million
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
4th
of 221 countries
All-time high
24.05 million
in 2025
All-time low
4.79 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria is 24.05 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 24.05 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.79 million, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 4th of 221 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, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.79 million | — |
| 1971 | 4.85 million | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 4.92 million | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 5.05 million | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 5.19 million | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 5.33 million | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 5.49 million | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 5.64 million | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 5.81 million | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 5.98 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 6.16 million | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 6.35 million | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 6.53 million | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 6.71 million | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 6.84 million | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 7.05 million | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 7.49 million | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 7.71 million | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 7.95 million | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 8.22 million | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 8.51 million | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 8.84 million | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 9.16 million | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 9.55 million | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 9.96 million | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 10.38 million | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 10.81 million | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 11.26 million | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 11.67 million | +3.7% |
| 1999 | 12.05 million | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 12.40 million | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 12.72 million | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 13.02 million | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 13.30 million | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 13.55 million | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 13.78 million | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 13.99 million | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 14.21 million | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 14.49 million | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 14.79 million | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 15.14 million | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 15.54 million | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 15.96 million | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 16.39 million | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 16.86 million | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 17.35 million | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 17.82 million | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 18.34 million | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 18.91 million | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 19.52 million | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 20.18 million | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 20.90 million | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 21.66 million | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 22.41 million | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 23.12 million | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 24.05 million | +4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.31 million | 4.79 million | 5.98 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.10 million | 6.16 million | 8.22 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.22 million | 8.51 million | 12.05 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.62 million | 12.40 million | 14.79 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.18 million | 15.14 million | 19.52 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.06 million | 20.18 million | 24.05 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 913,305 (2021)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 1 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 5 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 89.59 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 89.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Nigeria was 24.05 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 24.05 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.79 million in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.7%. 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, tertiary 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