RECRUITING FROM NIGERIA
Nigeria boasts a remarkably young and dynamic population, with an average age of just 17.2 years. Coupled with an average growth rate of 2.42% over the past five years, this youth demographic underscores a burgeoning need for educational opportunities.
Current population (2024): 232,679,478
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and one of the largest in the world by population, which has grown over 84% since 2000 when numbers were at 126,382,494.
Number of Millionaires
Nigeria has around 9,100 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with assets over US$1 million
Middle Class Percentage
Approximately 24% Nigeria's population belongs to the middle class.
Lagos is known for its severe traffic jams, where commuters spend about 30 hours per week stuck in gridlock. This downtime leads to extensive phone use, making social media platforms prime advertising spaces for universities.
NIGERIAN STUDENTS ABROAD
most powerful sending market in Sub Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s outbound numbers have been growing for decades, but more recently, mobility has been severely impacted by the depreciation of the Nigerian Naira.
We’ve highlighted Nigerian enrolments in five classic destination markets, and beyond these, other popular countries include China, Türkiye, South Africa, Germany, Ghana and India.
NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN CANADA
From humble beginnings in 2000, enrolments have steadily grown, with particular jolts in 2022 and 2023 when total international study permit holders in the country surged from 804,370 to 1,040,985. With the new cap on permits taking effect from 2024, Nigerians will likely cast their gaze towards other shores.
NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN UK
Though enrolment numbers have been rising at both levels, it is the Nigerian postgraduate market that has driven the most recent growth, with a 227% increase in the last eight years, making Nigeria the third largest market for the UK after China and India. However, with new policies no longer allowing international students to bring their dependants, interest in British Master's degrees has fallen since the start of 2024.
NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN USA
Nigeria is the seventh most popular sending market for the USA, making a big leap from the tenth origin market just the year before. Nigerians contributed US$ 533 million to the U.S. economy in 2022. Like the UK, the demand for Master's and PhD's is driving the big gains in Nigerian enrolments in America.
NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN AUSTRALIA
Unlike other destinations which have enjoyed an explosion of Nigerian enrolments in recent years, Australia hasn’t been top of mind for Nigerians. The potential to grow numbers further remains to be seen as new policies take hold in the months and years ahead.
NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN FRANCE
Total Nigerian enrolments in France increased 111% from 2017 to 2022. Engineering schools have shown the biggest leap in enrolments with a 371% increase during that time frame. Meanwhile, by degree level, enrolments in Master's enjoyed the biggest boost with a 127% increase.
TOP FINDING ACROSS SUB-SAHARA
As illustrated, students from Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are increasingly spreading their wings to seek out higher education in both traditional and up-and-coming destinations. Though exact figures for total outbound numbers are hard to pinpoint, we tallied up the numbers from our top five classic destinations and combined them with 20 additional destinations, using data from their Ministries of Education or UNESCO. The numbers below paint a broad picture of outbound mobility, with the understanding that these figures will be higher once all destinations are factored in.
Total students in tertiary education abroad in 25 destinations
Nigeria = 140,439
Ghana= 29,429
Kenya = 25,069.
KEY TIP
One of the strongest marketing channels, word of mouth, holds even more significance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Even if your institution has traditionally enroled a small number of students from this region, we encourage you to cultivate a strong sense of community amongst your international alumni. They represent a tight knit group whose personal success stories and genuine enthusiasm resonate deeply with prospective students. By activating a powerful African ambassador network, you can leverage their social circles and education outcomes to build brand awareness and support your recruitment goals.
