School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Nigeria
Nigeria: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 2.81 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.81 years
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
192nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
3.2 years
in 2013
All-time low
0.3135 years
in 1970
Years of data
38
1970–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Nigeria is 2.81 years, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 3.2 years in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.3135 years, in 1970.
That places Nigeria 192nd out of 214 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.3135 years | — |
| 1971 | 0.3393 years | +8.2% |
| 1972 | 0.3774 years | +11.2% |
| 1973 | 0.4214 years | +11.7% |
| 1977 | 0.5451 years | +29.4% |
| 1978 | 0.6426 years | +17.9% |
| 1979 | 0.7799 years | +21.4% |
| 1980 | 0.9709 years | +24.5% |
| 1981 | 1.21 years | +24.5% |
| 1982 | 1.48 years | +22.0% |
| 1983 | 1.75 years | +19.0% |
| 1984 | 2.01 years | +14.7% |
| 1985 | 2.04 years | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 1.62 years | -20.6% |
| 1987 | 1.61 years | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.42 years | -11.9% |
| 1990 | 1.44 years | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 1.38 years | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 1.45 years | +4.9% |
| 2001 | 1.59 years | +10.1% |
| 2002 | 1.74 years | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 2.05 years | +17.7% |
| 2005 | 2.03 years | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.99 years | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.84 years | -7.3% |
| 2008 | 2.04 years | +10.5% |
| 2009 | 2.25 years | +10.5% |
| 2010 | 2.53 years | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 2.58 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 2.67 years | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 3.2 years | +19.8% |
| 2014 | 2.6 years | -18.8% |
| 2015 | 2.66 years | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 2.37 years | -10.8% |
| 2018 | 2.43 years | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 2.65 years | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 2.73 years | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 2.81 years | +3.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 2.81 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.2 years, 67% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 2.81 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.05 years, 92% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4884 years | 0.3135 years | 0.7799 years | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.57 years | 0.9709 years | 2.04 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.41 years | 1.38 years | 1.44 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.89 years | 1.45 years | 2.25 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.63 years | 2.37 years | 3.2 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.73 years | 2.65 years | 2.81 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, secondary, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Nigeria was 2.81 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2 years in 2013.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3135 years in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 192nd out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. 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, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release