Top to Bottom: How states perform in NECO 2026 (FULL LIST)

Candidates’ performance in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) administered by the National Examinations Council (NECO) declined slightly from last year, a PREMIUM TIMES analysis has shown.

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The analysis of state-by-state performance also revealed that only 19 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) performed above the national average of 60.13 per cent.

The data, obtained from NECO’s state-by-state breakdown of the 2026 SSCE, showed that the pass rate in the remaining 18 states fell below the average rate.

The ranking is based on the proportion of candidates in each state who obtained at least five credits, including English and Mathematics, rather than the absolute number of successful candidates.

**Ten states with the lowest performance in 2026 NECO**

2026 NECO Result

Announcing this year’s results in Minna, Niger State, last week, NECO Registrar, Dantani Wushishi, a professor, said 58.67 per cent of candidates who sat the examination obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

Mr Wushishi said that while 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, only 1,371,992 sat for it.

He disclosed that 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent of those who sat the examination, passed with five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

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Candidates are required to secure at least a credit in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) to secure admission in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Therefore, 567,044 or 41.33 per cent, of those who sat this year’s NECO did not meet that particular benchmark.

This year’s results show a slight decline compared with the 2025 performance, where 60.26 per cent of candidates passed.

The examination body also noted that candidates involved in examination malpractice fell from 3,878 in 2025 to 1,406 in 2026, according to the examination body.

Best-performing states

For the second consecutive year, Abia State recorded the highest percentage of candidates who passed, among Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT, emerging as the best-performing state.

The performance data analysed by this newspaper showed that 81.78 per cent of candidates who sat the examination in Abia met the five-credit benchmark.

**Top, bottom 10 states by performance in 2026 NECO**

Ebonyi State followed with 81.03 per cent, while Ekiti ranked third with 77.68 per cent. Ekiti moved up from 10th place last year with a 68.50 per cent pass rate to third place this year.

Lagos, which had the second-largest number of candidates in the examination, ranked sixth by percentage, with 72,496 of its 97,771 candidates meeting the benchmark, representing 74.15 per cent.

Oyo, Imo and Bayelsa followed closely, recording 74.12, 74.10 and 73.92 per cent respectively.

Ogun State completed the top 10, with 73.34 per cent.

Least-performing states

At the bottom of the table is Sokoto State, which emerged as the lowest-performing state with only a 26.82 per cent pass rate.

Jigawa State recorded a 48.95 per cent pass rate, while the FCT recorded 46.18 per cent.

Kano, with the largest number of candidates in the examination, is ranked 31st by percentage. Only 74,41,3 or 45.85 per cent, of its 162,302 candidates passed with five credits, including English and Mathematics.

Yobe was next at 44.57 per cent, followed by Katsina at 41.54 per cent and Borno at 40.34 per cent.

Adamawa and Akwa Ibom recorded 37.76 and 37.42 per cent, respectively.

Full state-by-state ranking

Table 3A: Analysis of Candidates Performance by States in 2026 SSCE (Internal)
S/N	State	Candidates Registered	Candidates Sat	5 Credits and Above incl. Math. and Eng.	5 Credits and Above incl. Math. and Eng. (%)
001	ABIA	11,857	11,820	9,666	81.78%
002	EBONYI	14,264	14,133	11,452	81.03%
003	EKITI	18,177	18,173	14,117	77.68%
004	DELTA	23,960	23,826	17,910	75.17%
005	OSUN	35,098	35,071	26,060	74.31%
006	LAGOS	98,230	97,771	72,496	74.15%
007	OYO	75,004	74,937	55,543	74.12%
008	IMO	23,196	23,109	17,123	74.10%
009	BAYELSA	7,341	7,273	5,376	73.92%
010	OGUN	53,979	53,837	39,483	73.34%
011	EDO	27,770	27,610	19,654	71.18%
012	ANAMBRA	37,548	37,315	26,010	69.70%
013	ONDO	27,835	27,822	19,236	69.14%
014	KWARA	27,884	27,859	19,226	69.01%
015	KOGI	24,977	24,952	16,979	68.05%
016	BENUE	50,364	50,348	34,017	67.56%
017	KADUNA	44,570	44,503	28,184	63.33%
018	CROSS-RIVER	16,781	16,741	10,409	62.18%
019	KEBBI	5,052	5,050	3,049	60.38%
020	BAUCHI	37,785	37,681	21,736	57.68%
021	PLATEAU	35,793	35,764	20,627	57.68%
022	RIVERS	45,723	45,657	25,741	56.38%
023	ZAMFARA	23,370	23,355	12,923	55.33%
024	TARABA	46,508	45,355	24,876	54.85%
025	ENUGU	29,478	29,326	15,990	54.52%
026	NASARAWA	49,786	49,439	26,491	53.58%
027	NIGER	31,898	31,862	16,815	52.77%
028	GOMBE	16,945	16,944	8,906	52.56%
029	JIGAWA	34,522	34,519	16,897	48.95%
030	FCT-ABUJA	37,942	37,759	17,437	46.18%
031	KANO	162,578	162,302	74,413	45.85%
032	YOBE	29,846	29,842	13,302	44.57%
033	KATSINA	26,806	26,781	11,124	41.54%
034	BORNO	38,721	38,611	15,575	40.34%
035	ADAMAWA	53,943	53,134	20,062	37.76%
036	AKWA-IBOM	20,769	20,720	7,754	37.42%
037	SOKOTO	31,610	30,661	8,222	26.82%
038	Other countries (Benin, Equitorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, Togo, Cote D'Voire, Saudi Arabia)	138	130	67	0.51538461538462
	TOTAL	138	130	67