School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Nigeria
Nigeria: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 7.72 years in 2016. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2016, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Nigeria stood at 7.72 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 9.15 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 2.77 years, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 185th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.77 years | — |
| 1971 | 3 years | +8.4% |
| 1972 | 3.3 years | +9.9% |
| 1973 | 3.44 years | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 4.14 years | +20.5% |
| 1978 | 5.21 years | +25.9% |
| 1979 | 6.15 years | +18.0% |
| 1980 | 6.65 years | +8.0% |
| 1981 | 7.38 years | +11.0% |
| 1982 | 8.24 years | +11.6% |
| 1983 | 8.55 years | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 8.73 years | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 8.43 years | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 7.24 years | -14.1% |
| 1987 | 7.02 years | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 6.44 years | -8.2% |
| 1990 | 6.67 years | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 7.33 years | +9.8% |
| 2000 | 7.68 years | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 7.42 years | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 7.67 years | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 8.46 years | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 8.5 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 8.53 years | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 7.61 years | -10.8% |
| 2008 | 7.27 years | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 7.59 years | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 7.88 years | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 8.17 years | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 8.36 years | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 9.15 years | +9.5% |
| 2014 | 8.29 years | -9.4% |
| 2016 | 7.72 years | -6.9% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 7.72 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.6 years, 73% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 7.72 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.91 years, 78% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4 years | 2.77 years | 6.15 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 7.63 years | 6.44 years | 8.73 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 7 years | 6.67 years | 7.33 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.86 years | 7.27 years | 8.53 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.26 years | 7.72 years | 9.15 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 74.51 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 75.68 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Nigeria was 7.72 years in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 9.15 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.77 years in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 185th out of 197 countries with data for 2016.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. 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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.