The Ups and Downs of WAEC Pass Rates in Nigeria’s Last Decade

Over the past decade, the performance of candidates in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC or WASSCE) in Nigeria has experienced notable fluctuations, reflecting broader trends in the country’s educational landscape. From 2014 to 2021, the overall pass rates showed a general upward trajectory, peaking impressively in 2021, before suffering a sharp reversal in 2025.

In 2014, the percentage of students who achieved at least five credits, including English and Mathematics, stood at a low 31.28%. Modest gains followed over the next several years, reaching 38.68% in 2015. By 2016, there was a significant leap to 52.97%, and this positive momentum continued in 2017, with the pass rate rising to 59.22%. However, not all years would sustain this improvement; 2018 saw a regression to 48.15%. The following years again witnessed dramatic improvement, rising to 64.18% in 2019, and further to 65.24% in 2020—a year marked by disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most remarkable result came in 2021, with a record-high 81.70% of candidates passing, marking an unprecedented success. Although subsequent years did not match this peak, results remained strong: 76.36% in 2022 and 79.81% in 2023. Yet, this period of relative stability abruptly ended in 2025 when the pass rate plummeted to just 38.32%, representing a 33.8% decline from the previous year.

This dramatic decrease in 2025 has been attributed to the introduction of stricter anti-malpractice measures, including the serialisation of examination papers, which made it much harder for candidates to cheat. The results over the last 10 years thus illustrate both the challenges and progress in Nigeria’s education sector, demonstrating how policy changes and exam integrity can radically impact outcomes