Primary school enrolment in Nigeria has increased over two decades, with more male enrolments annually

Nigeria's primary school enrolment has increased significantly, reaching 30.5 million enrolments in 2021. This highlights the country's efforts to expand access to education, with consistent annual growth in enrolments over the past two decades.

Notably, male enrolments have consistently surpassed female enrolments annually, but the gaps keep decreasing, signaling continued efforts towards gender parity in education.

Source:
World Bank
Period:
1999 - 2021
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out

Click to copy HTML embed code

Tags
Related Insights
32% of private universities are in the South West, compared to 3% in the North East
As of 2024, 149 private universities are accredited by the National Universities Commission. Southern Nigeria houses 62%, with the South West leading at 47 universities, while the North East has the fewest, with just 5 (3%).
Ogun State has the highest number of universities in Nigeria (19)
Bayelsa, Gombe, and Katsina States have the fewest accredited universities — five each — of the 274 in Nigeria in 2024. Ogun leads with 19, followed closely by Abuja (17) and Delta (15).
Nomadic primary school enrolment in Nigeria is most prevalent in the North West region.
Nomadic primary school enrolment in Nigeria remains most prevalent in the North West, with over 503,000 children enroled in 2021, significantly higher than any other region. Enrolment numbers have shown gradual improvement across most regions.
45% of Nigeria's universities are located in the South West or North Central
Nearly one in two accredited universities in Nigeria is located in the South West or North Central. The South West has the highest number of private and federal universities, with a total of 71 universities, while the North East has the fewest, with 21 universities.
Private universities have moved from three in 1999 to 149 in 2024, nearly triple the number of federal universities
The University of Ibadan remained Nigeria's only university for twelve years before the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was established in 1960. Eleven universities followed between 1962 and 1975, increasing the number to 13 federal government-owned universities. The first state university was established in Rivers State in 1979, marking the beginning of the displacement of the federal government's ownership monopoly. Six state and nine federal universities were added in the 1980s, with four federal universities added in 1988, the year of the first Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike. While state-owned universities have grown steadily, slightly outpacing those owned by the federal government, private universities have displaced both, increasing from three institutions in 1999 to 33 in 2007, 60 in 2015, and 149 in 2024. There are now more private universities than federal and state universities combined.
Nigeria ranks 30th globally in English proficiency.
Nigeria occupies the 30th spot globally in the English Proficiency Index, achieving a score of 557, just behind Kenya (581) and South Africa (594). As one of Africa's linguistic leaders, this ranking highlights Nigeria’s strength in English proficiency, a vital skill driving communication, business, and education across the continent. This data comes from the EF English Proficiency Index, which aggregated the test results of 2.2m adults from 113 countries and regions. Countries where English is the primary native spoken language are not included in this ranking. Ranks are determined by each country’s average score in the EF Standard English Test (EF SET).
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved