Primary education, pupils in Nigeria
Nigeria: Primary education, pupils was 33.42 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary education, pupils in Nigeria, 1970–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Nigeria is 33.42 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 47 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.7% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Nigeria peaked at 33.42 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.52 million, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 3rd of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.69 million | 3.52 million | 9.87 million | 8 |
| 1980s | 13.14 million | 10.80 million | 14.65 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.25 million | 13.61 million | 17.91 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 20.75 million | 19.04 million | 22.86 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.83 million | 8.07 million | 27.89 million | 8 |
| 2020s | 31.32 million | 30.10 million | 33.42 million | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More education data for Nigeria
- Population ages 0-14 40.5% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 56.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 89.6% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 913,305 (2021)
- School enrollment, primary, female 88.2% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 90.9% (2023)
- Labor force, total 116.58 million (2025)
- Labor force, female 48.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Nigeria?
- Primary education, pupils in Nigeria was 33.42 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 33.42 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.52 million in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for primary education, pupils?
- Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.