Only 38.32% of candidates who took part in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) obtained credit and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced.

This marks a significant decline in performance compared to the 72.12% recorded in 2024, reflecting a 33.8% drop.

The Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Amos Dangut, made this disclosure on Monday August 4, during a press briefing in Lagos where he officially released the results for school candidates.

“The analysis of the candidates performance in the examination shows that out of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the exam, 1,718,090 representing 87.24% – obtained credit and above in minimum of any five subjects, with or without English Language and/or without Mathematics. However, only 754, 545 candidates representing 38.32%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“Of this number, 347,192 (46.05%) were male candidates, while 407,353 (53.99%/ were female”, Dangut stated.

A total of 1,969,313 candidates participated in examination across 23,554 recognized secondary schools in Nigeria. This included 12,178 candidates with special needs, such as visual and hearing impairments, who were fully accommodated during the exams.