Nigeria: School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)

Key figures

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.72 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.94 percentage points in 1972. 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

In 2023, Nigeria had the 12th highest value of the 43 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Nigeria in the 2023 ranking

• Suriname — 9th of 43: 33.75%
• Puerto Rico (US) — 10th of 43: 29.17%
• Argentina — 11th of 43: 25.81%
• Angola — 13th of 43: 18.15%
• Uruguay — 14th of 43: 15.94%
• Nicaragua — 15th of 43: 15.91%

What this measures

Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.

Limitations: Religious or private schools, which are not registered with the government or don't follow the common national curriculum, may not be captured.

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

All 18 values

School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) in nearby economies

• Angola — 18.15% (2023)
• Benin — 25.78% (2022)
• Botswana — 6.94% (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 28.18% (2024)
• Burundi — 3.07% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 2.17% (2022)
• Cameroon — 25.34% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 16.73% (2016)
• Chad — 23.62% (2024)

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 school enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary)?

23.27% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 14.41 percentage points from 37.68% in 1970. The highest value was 44.02% in 1971 and the lowest 5% in 2006.

How does Nigeria rank?

12th highest of 43 economies with data for 2023.

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.PRIV.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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