Number of people from sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, and Nigeria who studied in the US between 2001 and 2020

The number of people from sub-Saharan Africa studying in the US was highest in 2020 — 41,697. Here is the trend of sub-Saharan African, West African, and Nigerian students in the US from 2001 to 2020.

Source:

Open Doors Data

Period:

2001 - 2020
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China leads US international scholars with more than 23,000 in 2023/24, nearly 21% of global total
  • China continued to lead globally with the highest number of international scholars in the US, with almost 21% of the international scholars as of 2023/2024.
  • China has been the lead country with the highest number of scholars in the US globally in the last 24 years.
  • India is next after China, with 17,735 scholars in US who hailed from India making up 15.8% of the population.
  • Only 1% of the scholars in the US are from Nigeria
2025 sees unprecedented surge as 17,000 candidates score above 300 in JAMB; highest in 13 years
  • No candidate scored above 300 until 2015, with just 40 high scorers that year out of over 1.46 million candidates.
  • 2025 marked the highest ever with 17,025 candidates scoring above 300, nearly double the count in 2024 and more than triple 2023.
  • From 2022 to 2025, above-300 scorers consistently remained over 5,000 each year, showing a steady rise in top scores.
  • Despite the growth in numbers of JAMB candidates, high scorers still make up less than 1% annually.
2024 Nigerian Law School results
  • Over 36% of candidates earned a Second Class Lower.
  • One in every 27 candidates achieved a First Class Honours.
  • More than 16% secured a Second Class Upper.
  • 181 candidates were absent for the exam, roughly 2.5% of the total.
  • 327 candidates earned a Conditional Pass, requiring further requirements for full qualification.
Primary school dropouts in Lesotho have more than doubled since 2017, reaching 96.4k in 2023
  • The total number of out-of-school children in primary education in Lesotho rose to 96,388 in 2023, an increase of 40,511 from 2015.
  • The number of children out of school in 2021 saw a sharp rise to 92,290, up from 69,906 in 2020.
  • The gender gap remained relatively stable, with more boys than girls out of school each year.
  • The overall trend shows a steady increase in the total number of children out of school, especially in the past five years.
In 2023, Kiribati took the lead in global educational investment by allocating 16.4% of its budget
Key Takeaways:
  • In 2023, Kiribati spent the largest % of its GDP on education, amounting to 16.39%.
  • Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu each allocated over 10% of their GDP to education.
  • Bolivia and the Solomon Islands each directed around 8.3% of their GDP spending towards education.
  • The top ten countries dedicated approximately 6.6% to 16.4% of their GDP to education.
From 2012 to 2022, Nigeria's government expenditure on education decreased from 0.55% of GDP to 0.35%
Key takeaways:
  • Throughout the decade, Nigeria saw a consistent decline in education funding as a percentage of GDP.
  • The most substantial allocation occurred in 2012 at 0.55% of GDP.
  • The lowest allocation was noted in 2022 at 0.35% of GDP.
  • There was a brief recovery from 2017 to 2018 before the downward trend resumed in 2019.
  • Over the decade, the overall reduction in education spending relative to GDP was approximately 36.5%.
  • Nigeria's education spending as a percentage of GDP is significantly lower than the UNESCO recommendation of 4-6% for developing nations.
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