School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 16.36 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
16.36 million
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
4th
of 220 countries
All-time high
16.36 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.10 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria stood at 16.36 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 16.36 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.10 million, in 1970.
That places Nigeria 4th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.10 million | — |
| 1971 | 2.15 million | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 2.21 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 2.26 million | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 2.32 million | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 2.39 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 2.45 million | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 2.52 million | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 2.59 million | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 2.67 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 2.75 million | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 2.83 million | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 2.91 million | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 3.00 million | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 3.07 million | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 3.16 million | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 5.18 million | +63.9% |
| 1987 | 5.37 million | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 5.58 million | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 5.81 million | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 6.06 million | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 6.34 million | +4.5% |
| 1992 | 6.61 million | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 6.88 million | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 7.15 million | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 7.39 million | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 7.60 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 7.78 million | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 7.96 million | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 8.16 million | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 8.32 million | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 8.46 million | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 8.57 million | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 8.69 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 8.85 million | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 9.06 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 9.29 million | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 9.52 million | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 9.75 million | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 10.01 million | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 10.29 million | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 10.61 million | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 10.93 million | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 11.25 million | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 11.55 million | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 11.89 million | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 12.33 million | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 12.83 million | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 13.31 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 13.75 million | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 14.16 million | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 14.60 million | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 15.03 million | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 15.46 million | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 15.90 million | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 16.36 million | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.37 million | 2.10 million | 2.67 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.97 million | 2.75 million | 5.81 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.19 million | 6.06 million | 8.16 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.05 million | 8.32 million | 10.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.87 million | 10.29 million | 13.75 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.25 million | 14.16 million | 16.36 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0497 % change on previous year (2014)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Nigeria was 16.36 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 16.36 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.10 million in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, upper 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