Theoretical duration of primary education in Nigeria
Nigeria: Theoretical duration of primary education was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
27th
of 218 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 1970
All-time low
6 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Theoretical duration of primary education in Nigeria, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 6 years for theoretical duration of primary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of primary education in Nigeria peaked at 6 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 1970.
That places Nigeria 27th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 27 Aruba 6 years compare
- 27 Afghanistan 6 years compare
- 27 Angola 6 years compare
- 27 Andorra 6 years compare
- 27 Argentina 6 years compare
- 27 American Samoa 6 years compare
- 27 Burundi 6 years compare
- 27 Belgium 6 years compare
- 27 Benin 6 years compare
- 27 Burkina Faso 6 years compare
- 27 Bahrain 6 years compare
- 27 Bahamas 6 years compare
- 27 Belize 6 years compare
- 27 Bermuda 6 years compare
- 27 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 6 years compare
- 27 Barbados 6 years compare
- 27 Brunei Darussalam 6 years compare
- 27 Bhutan 6 years compare
- 27 Central African Republic 6 years compare
- 27 Canada 6 years compare
- 27 Switzerland 6 years compare
- 27 Chile 6 years compare
- 27 China 6 years compare
- 27 Côte d'Ivoire 6 years compare
- 27 Cameroon 6 years compare
- 27 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6 years compare
- 27 Congo 6 years compare
- 27 Cabo Verde 6 years compare
- 27 Costa Rica 6 years compare
- 27 Cuba 6 years compare
- 27 Curaçao 6 years compare
- 27 Cayman Islands 6 years compare
- 27 Cyprus 6 years compare
- 27 Dominican Republic 6 years compare
- 27 Ecuador 6 years compare
- 27 Egypt 6 years compare
- 27 Spain 6 years compare
- 27 Estonia 6 years compare
- 27 Ethiopia 6 years compare
- 27 Finland 6 years compare
- 27 Fiji 6 years compare
- 27 Micronesia (Federated States of) 6 years compare
- 27 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6 years compare
- 27 Georgia 6 years compare
- 27 Ghana 6 years compare
- 27 Gibraltar 6 years compare
- 27 Guinea 6 years compare
- 27 Gambia 6 years compare
- 27 Guinea-Bissau 6 years compare
- 27 Equatorial Guinea 6 years compare
- 27 Greece 6 years compare
- 27 Guatemala 6 years compare
- 27 Guyana 6 years compare
- 27 Hong Kong (China) 6 years compare
- 27 Honduras 6 years compare
- 27 Haiti 6 years compare
- 27 Indonesia 6 years compare
- 27 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 6 years compare
- 27 Iraq 6 years compare
- 27 Israel 6 years compare
- 27 Jamaica 6 years compare
- 27 Jordan 6 years compare
- 27 Japan 6 years compare
- 27 Kenya 6 years compare
- 27 Cambodia 6 years compare
- 27 Kiribati 6 years compare
- 27 Korea 6 years compare
- 27 Lebanon 6 years compare
- 27 Liberia 6 years compare
- 27 Libya 6 years compare
- 27 Luxembourg 6 years compare
- 27 Latvia 6 years compare
- 27 Macau (China) 6 years compare
- 27 Morocco 6 years compare
- 27 Maldives 6 years compare
- 27 Mexico 6 years compare
- 27 Marshall Islands 6 years compare
- 27 Mali 6 years compare
- 27 Malta 6 years compare
- 27 Mauritania 6 years compare
- 27 Mauritius 6 years compare
- 27 Malawi 6 years compare
- 27 Malaysia 6 years compare
- 27 Niger 6 years compare
- 27 Nicaragua 6 years compare
- 27 Netherlands 6 years compare
- 27 Nauru 6 years compare
- 27 New Zealand 6 years compare
- 27 Panama 6 years compare
- 27 Peru 6 years compare
- 27 Philippines 6 years compare
- 27 Palau 6 years compare
- 27 Papua New Guinea 6 years compare
- 27 Puerto Rico 6 years compare
- 27 Portugal 6 years compare
- 27 Paraguay 6 years compare
- 27 Qatar 6 years compare
- 27 Rwanda 6 years compare
- 27 Saudi Arabia 6 years compare
- 27 Sudan 6 years compare
- 27 Senegal 6 years compare
- 27 Singapore 6 years compare
- 27 Solomon Islands 6 years compare
- 27 Sierra Leone 6 years compare
- 27 El Salvador 6 years compare
- 27 South Sudan 6 years compare
- 27 Sao Tome and Principe 6 years compare
- 27 Suriname 6 years compare
- 27 Slovenia 6 years compare
- 27 Sweden 6 years compare
- 27 Sint Maarten 6 years compare
- 27 Seychelles 6 years compare
- 27 Syrian Arab Republic 6 years compare
- 27 Turks and Caicos Islands 6 years compare
- 27 Chad 6 years compare
- 27 Togo 6 years compare
- 27 Thailand 6 years compare
- 27 Timor-Leste 6 years compare
- 27 Tonga 6 years compare
- 27 Tunisia 6 years compare
- 27 Tuvalu 6 years compare
- 27 Uruguay 6 years compare
- 27 United States of America 6 years compare
- 27 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 6 years compare
- 27 United States Virgin Islands 6 years compare
- 27 Vanuatu 6 years compare
- 27 Samoa 6 years compare
- 27 Yemen 6 years compare
More education data for Nigeria
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 913,305 (2021)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 1 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 5 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.5% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 89.59 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 89.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of primary education in Nigeria?
- Theoretical duration of primary education in Nigeria was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for theoretical duration of primary education?
- Nigeria ranks 27th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of primary education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Theoretical duration of primary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release