Nigeria's Education Spending: A Misaligned Budget Amid Stagnant Outcomes

Nigeria's education sector has been plagued by stagnant outcomes despite significant increases in budget allocations. In the past five years, the country has tripled its education spending, from N602 billion in 2019 to N1.59 trillion in 2024. However, this increase has not translated to improved learning outcomes, with millions of children still out of school and classrooms overcrowded. Analysts argue that a significant portion of the funding is absorbed by salaries and recurrent costs, leaving little for capital projects and infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

• Nigeria's education budget has nearly tripled in five years, from N602 billion in 2019 to N1.59 trillion in 2024.
• Despite higher allocations, student achievement remains weak, with only 36% of Nigerian primary school pupils achieving minimum proficiency in literacy and numeracy in 2022.
• The country's education spending is largely absorbed by salaries and recurrent costs, leaving just 30% for capital projects.
• Nigeria spends between 6% and 7% of its budget on education, significantly lower than global standards.
• South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya allocate 9%, 12%, and 8% of their budgets to education, respectively.
• The country's out-of-school population has swelled to an estimated 18.5 million children by late 2024.

Statistics:

• Nigeria's education budget as a percentage of total spending: 6.4% (2025 proposal)
• Nigeria's education budget in absolute terms: $2.7 billion (2023)
• South Africa's education budget in absolute terms: $28.1 billion (2023)
• Egypt's education budget in absolute terms: $18 billion (2023)
• Kenya's education budget in absolute terms: $6.3 billion (2023)
• Nigeria's out-of-school population: 18.5 million (2024)

Sources:

• National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
• World Bank
• UNESCO
• UNICEF
• Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
• Government of Nigeria
• President Bola Tinubu's 2025 budget proposal