Children’s reading skills in Nigeria: 16 of 18 jurisdictions beating Nigeria's reading average are in the south

Key Takeaways

  • Lagos recorded an 87% reading proficiency rate, against 2% in Jigawa.
  • The gap between Lagos and Jigawa was 85 percentage points.
  • Nigeria’s national reading proficiency rate was 26.8%.
  • Eighteen of 37 areas exceeded the national average.
  • Kwara and the FCT were the only areas outside the three southern zones above the national average.

In Lagos, 87% of children aged 7–14 had foundational reading skills in 2021, compared with just 2% in Jigawa. That is an 85 percentage-point gap between the two states.

Across Nigeria, the share was 26.8%. Eighteen of the 37 areas, including the FCT, recorded higher rates, and 16 of those were in the South West, South East or South South. Kwara and the FCT were the only areas outside those three southern zones above the national average.

The figures come from Nigeria’s 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6) and are available at the subnational level through UNICEF’s Foundational Learning Skills explorer. The assessment covered children aged 7–14, including those who were out of school. For reading, children had to read at least 90 per cent of a short Grade 2-level story and answer both literal and inferential comprehension questions.

Source:

UNICEF

Period:

2021
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