Nigeria vs Senegal: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 70.4% in Nigeria in 2024 and 50.4% in Senegal in 2023, by UNESCO estimates. In 2016 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 12.1 percentage points, or 1.26 times that in Senegal.
NigeriaSenegal
Watch it change on the map% of adults · UNESCO
Latest figures
% of adults · UNESCO
| Country | Latest | 10 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 70.4 2024 | — |
| Senegal | 50.4 2023 | 43.5 |
| World | 87.7 2024 | 85.6 |
What the numbers say
- Nigeria has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2006.
- The world as a whole: 86.3% in 2016.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Nigeria | Senegal | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 70.4 | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | 50.4 | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 63.2 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 46.8 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 46.6 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | 51.9 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 58.2 | 46.1 | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | 43.6 | 86 |
| 2014 | – | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | 43.5 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | 51.8 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | 48 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 70.2 | 41.9 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | 54.8 | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | 39.3 | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | 55.5 | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | 26.9 | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time