The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results statistics for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtaining a minimum of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
According to the statistics released by the examination body, a total of 1,959,668 candidates registered for the 2026 WASSCE, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination.
2026 WASSCE RESULTS AT A GLANCE
- 1,959,668 candidates registered for the examination.
- 1,950,726 candidates sat for the 2026 WASSCE.
- 953,459 candidates (48.88%) were male.
- 997,267 candidates (51.12%) were female.
- 1,834,695 candidates (94.05%) had their results fully processed and released.
- 167,486 candidates (8.59%) had their results withheld.
- 1,687,378 candidates (86.50%) obtained a minimum of five credits, with or without English Language and Mathematics.
- 1,200,514 candidates (61.54%) obtained a minimum of five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
- The proportion of candidates meeting the five-credit benchmark including English Language and Mathematics represents a 1.42 percentage-point decline from the 2025 figure.
- The examination was conducted across 24,207 centres.
OVER 1.2 MILLION CANDIDATES MEET KEY CREDIT BENCHMARK
The latest figures indicate that more than 1.2 million candidates achieved the widely recognised benchmark of at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
The result is particularly significant for candidates seeking admission into universities and other tertiary institutions where five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, are commonly required as part of the basic entry requirements, subject to individual institutional and course-specific requirements.
The statistics also show a slight female majority among candidates who participated in the examination, with female candidates accounting for 51.12 per cent, compared with 48.88 per cent for male candidates.
WAEC’s release of the 2026 WASSCE statistics provides an overview of candidates’ overall performance and the processing status of the results across the examination conducted in 24,207 centres.
