Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria

Nigeria: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 46.93 million number in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
46.93 million number
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
5th
of 186 countries
All-time high
46.93 million number
in 2019
All-time low
30.55 million number
in 2004
Years of data
16
2004–2019

Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria, 2004–2019

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M2004201120192004: 30.5M number2005: 31.3M number2006: 32.1M number2007: 33.0M number2008: 33.9M number2009: 35.0M number2010: 36.1M number2011: 37.1M number2012: 38.3M number2013: 39.5M number2014: 40.8M number2015: 42.0M number2016: 43.2M number2017: 44.4M number2018: 45.7M number2019: 46.9M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2019, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria stood at 46.93 million number. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 34.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 46.93 million number in 2019 and was at its lowest, 30.55 million number, in 2004.

Nigeria ranks 5th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32.63 million number 30.55 million number 34.97 million number 6
2010s 41.40 million number 36.06 million number 46.93 million number 10

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 2 China (People’s Republic of) 151.90 million number compare
  2. 3 Pakistan 56.33 million number compare
  3. 4 United States 49.70 million number compare
  4. 6 Indonesia 41.76 million number compare
  5. 7 Mexico 31.36 million number compare
  6. 8 Philippines 28.24 million number compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria?
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria was 46.93 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 46.93 million number in 2019.
What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 30.55 million number in 2004.
How does Nigeria rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
Nigeria ranks 5th out of 186 countries with data for 2019.
Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-both-sexes-number/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
231 places, 4,849 data points, 1975–2020
Last refreshed

Population of children within the age span that children are legally obliged to attend school.