Nigeria: Primary education, teachers (% female)

Key figures

Since 1970 it is up 31.57 percentage points from 23.66% in 1970. The World Bank has no value for 22 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2021, Nigeria's primary education, teachers (% female) fell 2.51 percentage points on 2020 (from 57.74% to 55.23%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2020), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.92 percentage points in 1972 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.02 percentage points in 1987. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Nigeria in the 2021 ranking

• Suriname — 1st of 4: 95.5%
• Kuwait — 2nd of 4: 90.44%
• Liechtenstein — 3rd of 4: 80.92%

What this measures

Female teachers as a percentage of total primary education teachers includes full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The indicator measures the level of gender representation in the teaching profession, rather than the effectiveness and quality of teaching.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 30 values

Primary education, teachers (% female) in nearby economies

• Benin — 29.64% (2022)
• Botswana — 74.08% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 50.07% (2024)
• Burundi — 55.24% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 63.51% (2022)
• Cameroon — 61.38% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 19.09% (2016)
• Chad — 21.27% (2024)
• Comoros — 43.24% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 32.35% (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

More education data for Nigeria

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 33.42 million (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 89.59% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 88.2% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 90.93% (2023)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2019)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Nigeria's primary education, teachers (% female)?

55.23% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 31.57 percentage points from 23.66% in 1970. The highest value was 57.74% in 2020 and the lowest 22.39% in 1971.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers (% female) unusual for Nigeria?

In 2021, Nigeria's primary education, teachers (% female) fell 2.51 percentage points on 2020 (from 57.74% to 55.23%). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (1971 to 2020), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.91 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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