School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Nigeria
Nigeria: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 5.41 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria is 5.41 years, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.5% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 6.64 years in 1982 and was at its lowest, 1.53 years, in 2015.
That places Nigeria 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.51 years | — |
| 1971 | 2.71 years | +7.8% |
| 1972 | 2.97 years | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 3.07 years | +3.2% |
| 1976 | 2.94 years | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 3.59 years | +22.1% |
| 1978 | 4.56 years | +26.9% |
| 1979 | 5.36 years | +17.5% |
| 1980 | 5.65 years | +5.4% |
| 1981 | 6.09 years | +7.8% |
| 1982 | 6.64 years | +8.9% |
| 1983 | 6.62 years | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 6.55 years | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.17 years | -5.8% |
| 1986 | 5.37 years | -12.8% |
| 1987 | 5.15 years | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 4.91 years | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 4.79 years | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 4.99 years | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 4.94 years | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 5.2 years | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 5.48 years | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 5.49 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 5.25 years | -4.5% |
| 1996 | 4.61 years | -12.2% |
| 1999 | 5.74 years | +24.6% |
| 2000 | 6.01 years | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 5.55 years | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 5.62 years | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 5.69 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 6.07 years | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 6.11 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 6.14 years | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 5.37 years | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 4.84 years | -9.9% |
| 2009 | 4.91 years | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 4.88 years | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 5.08 years | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 5.15 years | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 5.37 years | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 5.16 years | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 1.53 years | -70.2% |
| 2016 | 4.83 years | +215.1% |
| 2018 | 4.9 years | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 5.06 years | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 5.03 years | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 5.41 years | +7.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 5.41 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 5.41 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) 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 | +215.1% | 1.53 years | 4.83 years |
| 2015 | -70.2% | 5.16 years | 1.53 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.47 years | 2.51 years | 5.36 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.79 years | 4.79 years | 6.64 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.21 years | 4.61 years | 5.74 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.63 years | 4.84 years | 6.14 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.61 years | 1.53 years | 5.37 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.17 years | 5.03 years | 5.41 years | 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria was 5.41 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 6.64 years in 1982.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.53 years in 2015.
- How does Nigeria rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release