Top 10 Nigerian states with the highest education budget for 2025

In Nigeria, the education sector has suffered persistent underfunding, with budget allocations often failing to materialize.

While many Nigerian states have made education a focal point, others have neglected the sector, allowing years of decay in the system.

This neglect has resulted in declining student performance and growing dissatisfaction among teachers, many of whom face delayed salary payments.

Consequently, parents have shouldered the financial burden of essential infrastructure development.

States have been criticized for this neglect, but in response, some have begun increasing their education budgets to reverse the trend and revitalize the sector.

Nigeria’s education budget allocation has declined significantly, from 10.75% in 2015 to 5.47% in 2025, falling far short of UNESCO’s recommended 15%-20% threshold.

Nigeria’s proposed 2025 budget allocates N6.13 trillion to education, making up 9.27% of the total N66.11 trillion national budget.

This falls significantly short of UNESCO’s 26% benchmark, the World Bank’s 20-30% recommendation, and Nigeria’s National Policy on Education, which also calls for at least 26% allocation to education.

An analysis of the proposed 2025 budget shows that the defense and security sector will get the largest allocation at 9.87%, followed by infrastructure (8.16%), education (7.08%), and health (4.99%).

Compared to previous years, funding for defense, education, and health has declined.

For example, defense and security funding dropped from 12.0% in 2023 and 13.38% in 2024 to 9.87% in 2025. Similarly, education declined from 8.21% in 2024 to 7.08%,

The shortfall highlights ongoing challenges in prioritizing education funding at both federal and state levels.

Some Nigeria’s states have however, shown varying levels of commitment to education funding.

Top Performers include Enugu (32.99%), Kano (31%), Jigawa (26.4%), and Kaduna (26.14%), which have met or exceeded UNESCO’s recommendation.

In contrast, states meeting the World Bank’s minimum include Abia (20%), Nasarawa (20.43%), Oyo (21.4%), and Sokoto (25%), which have reached the 20% benchmark.

Unfortunately, States with low education allocation are Lagos (6.93%), Delta (6.89%), and Bayelsa (6.83%), which have allocated the least to education, falling below the Federal Government’s 7.08% allocation.

According to The Cable Index, the top states with the highest education budget allocations in Nigeria are;