Nigeria: Secondary education, teachers

Key figures

Since 1970 it is up 5,332% from 16,794 in 1970 (8.15% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2021, Nigeria's secondary education, teachers rose 5.8% on 2020 (from 861,872 to 912,245).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2020), the average change was +14.3% and a typical year strayed about 22.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 96% in 1982 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.2% in 2004. 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

• Cambodia — 2nd of 7: 107,312
• Kuwait — 3rd of 7: 47,443
• Botswana — 4th of 7: 15,284

What this measures

Secondary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at secondary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

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

All 33 values

Secondary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Angola — 91,250 (2023)
• Benin — 57,296 (2022)
• Botswana — 15,284 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 68,557 (2024)
• Burundi — 27,748 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 3,534 (2022)
• Cameroon — 118,092 (2023)
• Central African Republic — 4,357 (2017)
• Chad — 23,874 (2024)
• Comoros — 7,728 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 621,578 (2023)

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 secondary education, teachers?

912,245 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 5,332% from 16,794 in 1970 (8.15% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 912,245 in 2021 and the lowest 16,686 in 1977.

Is the latest change in secondary education, teachers unusual for Nigeria?

In 2021, Nigeria's secondary education, teachers rose 5.8% on 2020 (from 861,872 to 912,245). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1978 to 2020), the average change was +14.3% and a typical year strayed about 22.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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.SEC.TCHR, 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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