•NECO candidates
Abia State has emerged as the best-performing state in the 2026 National Examinations Council (NECO) results, recording a performance rate of 81.78 per cent, according to NECO figures.
Ebonyi State followed closely in second position with 81.03 per cent, while Ekiti State took third place with 77.68 per cent, reports The Nation.
The figures show that nine other states recorded performance rates above 73 per cent, with Delta, Osun, Lagos, Oyo, Imo, Bayelsa and Ogun completing the top 10 list.
Top 10 States in NECO 2026
1. Abia — 81.78%
2. Ebonyi — 81.03%
3. Ekiti — 77.68%
4. Delta — 75.17%
5. Osun — 74.31%
6. Lagos — 74.15%
7. Oyo — 74.12%
8. Imo — 74.10%
9. Bayelsa — 73.92%
10. Ogun — 73.34%
The percentages represent the performance recorded by candidates in the respective states based on the NECO 2026 data.
Abia leads the table with 81.78 per cent, meaning its reported performance rate was the highest among the states listed.
Ebonyi came very close to Abia, recording 81.03 per cent. The difference between the two states is just 0.75 percentage points.
Ekiti ranked third with 77.68 per cent, while Delta ranks fourth with 75.17 per cent.
Among the more populous states, Lagos ranks sixth with 74.15 per cent, followed closely by Oyo at 74.12 per cent.
Imo, Bayelsa and Ogun complete the top 10, recording 74.10 per cent, 73.92 per cent and 73.34 per cent respectively.
Overall, the gap between Abia, the highest-ranked state, and Ogun, the 10th-ranked state, is 8.44 percentage points.
The ranking provides a state-by-state picture of performance in the 2026 NECO examination, with Abia and Ebonyi recording the two highest percentages among the states listed.
