School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Nigeria
Nigeria: School enrollment, primary (% gross) was 89.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
School enrollment, primary in Nigeria, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % gross.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 89.6% for school enrollment, primary in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.9% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school enrollment, primary in Nigeria peaked at 110.6% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 25.6%, in 2015.
That places Nigeria 178th out of 205 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % gross | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 41.9% | — |
| 1971 | 45.2% | +7.8% |
| 1972 | 49.6% | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 51.1% | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 49.0% | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 59.9% | +22.1% |
| 1978 | 76.0% | +26.9% |
| 1979 | 89.3% | +17.5% |
| 1980 | 94.2% | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 101.6% | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 110.6% | +8.9% |
| 1983 | 110.3% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 109.1% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 102.8% | -5.8% |
| 1986 | 89.6% | -12.8% |
| 1987 | 85.9% | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 81.8% | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 79.8% | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 83.1% | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 82.3% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 86.7% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 91.3% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 91.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 87.4% | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 76.8% | -12.2% |
| 1999 | 91.6% | +19.3% |
| 2000 | 95.5% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 92.5% | -3.1% |
| 2002 | 93.7% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 94.8% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 95.8% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 96.3% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 96.7% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 88.1% | -8.9% |
| 2008 | 79.3% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 80.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 79.8% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 84.7% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 85.9% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 87.8% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 84.1% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 25.6% | -69.6% |
| 2016 | 78.9% | +208.5% |
| 2018 | 81.6% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 84.4% | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 83.8% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 89.6% | +6.9% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 89.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 87% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 89.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School enrollment, primary (% gross) in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +208.5% | 25.6% | 78.9% |
| 2015 | -69.6% | 84.1% | 25.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.8% | 41.9% | 89.3% | 8 |
| 1980s | 96.6% | 79.8% | 110.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 86.4% | 76.8% | 91.6% | 8 |
| 2000s | 91.3% | 79.3% | 96.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.1% | 25.6% | 87.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 85.9% | 83.8% | 89.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
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 school enrollment, primary in Nigeria?
- School enrollment, primary in Nigeria was 89.6% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school enrollment, primary recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 110.6% in 1982.
- What is the lowest school enrollment, primary recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.6% in 2015.
- How does Nigeria rank for school enrollment, primary?
- Nigeria ranks 178th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school enrollment, primary rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School enrollment, primary (% gross). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Gross enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the level of education shown. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.