School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria
Nigeria: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes was 5.19 years in 2016. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria, 1970–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria is 5.19 years, measured in 2016.
That represents a change of down 6.0% on the previous year and down 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria peaked at 6.78 years in 1983 and was at its lowest, 2.46 years, in 1970.
That places Nigeria 152nd out of 199 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.45 years | 2.46 years | 5.38 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.96 years | 4.98 years | 6.78 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.37 years | 4.72 years | 5.9 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.91 years | 5.13 years | 6.46 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.44 years | 5.19 years | 5.75 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3105 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.8 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.4187 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 860.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Nigeria was 5.19 years in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 6.78 years in 1983.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.46 years in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Nigeria ranks 152nd out of 199 countries with data for 2016.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. 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 School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.