School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in Nigeria
Nigeria: School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) was 0.5087 years in 2011. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Nigeria, 1975–2011
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 0.5087 years for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in 2011.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.3% on the previous year and up 66.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 0.5245 years in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.037 years, in 1975.
That places Nigeria 149th out of 183 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary both) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 0.037 years | — |
| 1976 | 0.041 years | +10.6% |
| 1977 | 0.0521 years | +27.2% |
| 1978 | 0.0585 years | +12.2% |
| 1979 | 0.0806 years | +37.8% |
| 1980 | 0.0921 years | +14.3% |
| 1981 | 0.1163 years | +26.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1341 years | +15.2% |
| 1983 | 0.1436 years | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 0.1508 years | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 0.1707 years | +13.2% |
| 1986 | 0.1787 years | +4.6% |
| 1987 | 0.1753 years | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 0.194 years | +10.7% |
| 1989 | 0.2075 years | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 0.3062 years | +47.6% |
| 2003 | 0.4857 years | +58.6% |
| 2004 | 0.4965 years | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 0.5245 years | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 0.4786 years | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 0.5087 years | +6.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.5087 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.678 years, 75% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.5087 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.4497 years, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes (years) (tertiary 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +58.6% | 0.3062 years | 0.4857 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0538 years | 0.037 years | 0.0806 years | 5 |
| 1980s | 0.1563 years | 0.0921 years | 0.2075 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3062 years | 0.3062 years | 0.3062 years | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.5023 years | 0.4857 years | 0.5245 years | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.4937 years | 0.4786 years | 0.5087 years | 2 |
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, tertiary, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes in Nigeria was 0.5087 years in 2011, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5245 years in 2005.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.037 years in 1975.
- How does Nigeria rank for school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 149th out of 183 countries with data for 2011.
- Is school life expectancy, tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.1%. 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 life expectancy, tertiary, 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.