2016 till date: Percentage of candidates who scored less than 200 in JAMB/UTME

A few days ago, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) released the statistical analysis of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), showing that 75 percent of candidates scored below average (200 out of 400).

The woeful performance has renewed public outcry and calls for urgent reforms and aggressive investment in Nigeria’s education sector.

For over a decade, the performance of candidates in UTME has been a growing concern. An analysis of official data from JAMB shows a consistent pattern: most candidates score below 200 out of the total 400 marks.

Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of the number and percentage of candidates who scored less than 200 in the crucial examination over the last 10 years:

2016

Candidates below 200: 1.59 million

Percentage: 64.24%

2017

Candidates below 200: 1.72 million

Percentage: 73.0%

2018

Candidates below 200: 1.19 million

Percentage: 74.1%

2019

Candidates below 200: 1.40 million

Percentage: 77.0%

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2020

Candidates below 200: 1.54 million

Percentage: 79.2%

2021

Candidates below 200: 1.14 million

Percentage: 87.2%

2022

Candidates below 200: 1.33 million

Percentage: 77.8%

2023

Candidates below 200: 1.17 million

Percentage: 76.7%

2024

Candidates below 200: 1.40 million

Percentage: 76.1%

2025

Candidates below 200: 1.53 million

Percentage: 78.5%

Taofeek Oyedokun

Taofeek Oyedokun is a correspondent at BusinessDay with years of experience reporting on political economy, public policy, migration, environment/climate change, and social justice. A graduate of Political Science from the University of Lagos, he has also earned multiple professional certificates in journalism and media-related training. Known for his clear, data-driven reporting, Oyedokun covers a wide range of national and international socioeconomic issues, bringing depth, balance, and public-interest focus to his work.