Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria
Nigeria: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 0.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria, 1974–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria stood at 0.3%. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is down 8.4% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria peaked at 3.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 198th of 199 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 3.2% | — |
| 1975 | 3.1% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -82.1% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -11.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -10.0% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -14.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | -8.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 0.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 8% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 0.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 10% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -82.1% | 3.1% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Nigeria was 0.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Nigeria ranks 198th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.