UNICEF's country profile for Nigeria, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

As of 2023, the mortality rate of infants aged under one-year-old in Nigeria was measured at 55.17. This means that there were about 55 deaths of children under the age of one year per 1,000 live births. Child mortality rates in Africa are very high. Among the countries with the highest infant mortality rate in the world, almost all of them are African countries. Similarly, maternal mortality rates are high. In 2017, Nigeria recorded 917 deaths of mothers per 100,000 live births.

In 2021, the main causes of death among children aged under five in Nigeria were neonatal disorders. More specifically, close to 32 percent of all deaths were caused by neonatal disorders. Among the main cases of infant mortality in Nigeria, there were malaria, lower respiratory infections, and diarrheal diseases.

Nigeria: Infant deaths per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 69 deaths per 1000 live births, a decline from 71 deaths per 1000 live births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 19 deaths per 1000 live births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for Nigeria from 1964 to 2022 is 119 deaths per 1000 live births. The minimum value, 69 deaths per 1000 live births, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 194 deaths per 1000 live births was recorded in 1964.

Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Infant: Male: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 70.700 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 75.200 Ratio for 2015. Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Infant: Male: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 88.400 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 135.700 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 70.700 Ratio in 2017. Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Infant: Male: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate, male is the number of male infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 male live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 104.300 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 108.000 Ratio for 2015. Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 210.100 Ratio from Dec 1964 (Median) to 2016, with 53 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 327.900 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 104.300 Ratio in 2016. Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in Nigeria amounted to 60.1. Between 1964 and 2023, the figure dropped by 113.5, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 1955, the infant mortality rate in Nigeria was two hundred deaths per thousand live births, meaning that twenty percent of all newborns would not survive past their first birthday. Infant mortality would gradually decline in Nigeria over the next three decades, as mass vaccination campaigns and improvements in access to nutrition would lead to a sharp decline in the causes of infant and child mortality. This decline would largely level off at around 125 deaths per thousand live births beginning in the late 1980s, as a decline in oil revenues would lead to a scaling back of many government health programs, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic would spread rapidly throughout the country beginning in 1981 (as of 2019, Nigeria has the highest rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission worldwide). As HIV treatment would gradually improve, and the Nigerian economy would begin to recover in the 21st century, infant mortality would to decline once more in the 2000s. Despite this decline, in 2020, it is estimated that over six percent of all newborns do not make it to their first birthday, which is among the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Nigeria Infant Mortality Rate, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1964-12-31 to 2023-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 64.600 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 66.600 Ratio for 2016. Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 123.900 Ratio from Dec 1964 (Median) to 2017, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 193.700 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 64.600 Ratio in 2017. Nigeria NG: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Historical dataset showing Nigeria infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Infant mortality rate of Nigeria fell by 2.44% from 61.6 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 60.1 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Since the 0.83% decline in 2013, infant mortality rate plummeted by 15.83% in 2023. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Actual value and historical data chart for Nigeria Mortality Rate Infant Per 1 000 Live Births

Actual value and historical data chart for Nigeria Mortality Rate Infant Male Per 1000 Live Births

In 2019, Male Infant Mortality Rate in Nigeria was down by 2.1% compared to a year earlier.

BackgroundInfant mortality persists as a global public health concern, particularly in lower-middle-income countries (LIMCs) such as Nigeria. The risk of an infant dying before one year of age is estimated to be six times higher in Africa than in Europe. Nigeria recorded an infant mortality rate of 72.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020, in contrast to the global estimate of 27.4 per 1,000 live births. Several studies have been undertaken to determine the factors influencing infant mortality.ObjectiveThis scoping review sought to identify and summarise the breadth of evidence available on factors associated with infant mortality in Nigeria.MethodsThis review followed the five-stage principles of Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Four electronic databases were searched with no limit to publication date or study type: Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and Web of Science. Selected studies were imported into Endnote software and then exported to Rayyan software where duplicates were removed. Included articles were thematically analysed and synthesised using the socioecological model.ResultsA total of 8,139 references were compiled and screened. Forty-eight articles were included in the final review. At the individual level, maternal- and child-related factors were revealed to influence infant mortality; socioeconomic and sociocultural factors at the interpersonal level; provision and utilisation of health services, health workforce, hospital resources and access to health services at the organisational level; housing/neighbourhood and environmental factors at the community level; and lastly, governmental factors were found to affect infant mortality at the public policy level.ConclusionFactors related to the individual, interpersonal, organisational, community and public policy levels were associated with infant mortality in Nigeria.

We examine the effect of forest loss around the time of birth on infant mortality and the early childhood health of children in rural Nigeria. We find that forest loss leads to an increase in neonatal mortality – one standard deviation of forest loss is associated with a 9-15% increase in the likelihood of death within the first month of life. The mechanism linking forest loss to infant death is maternal exposure to malaria when the child is in utero. Such exposure also results in worse birth outcomes, proxied by lower weight-for-age and height-for-age of surviving infants.

Actual value and historical data chart for Nigeria Number Of Infant Deaths

Thematic analysis of the factors affecting infant mortality in Nigeria based on the SEM.

This repository provides replication data for "Effect of oil spills on infant mortality in Nigeria". The article is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.