Child mortality rate in Nigeria
Nigeria: Child mortality rate was 10.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
10.4%
Change on year
down 4.4%
World rank
6th
of 204 countries
All-time high
29.7%
in 1950
All-time low
10.4%
in 2019
Years of data
70
1950–2019
Child mortality rate in Nigeria, 1950–2019
Source: IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 10.4% for child mortality rate in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 70 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Nigeria peaked at 29.7% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2019.
Nigeria ranks 6th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Child mortality rate in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 29.7% | — |
| 1951 | 29.6% | -0.4% |
| 1952 | 29.3% | -0.9% |
| 1953 | 29.1% | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 28.8% | -0.8% |
| 1955 | 28.6% | -0.7% |
| 1956 | 28.5% | -0.6% |
| 1957 | 28.3% | -0.5% |
| 1958 | 28.2% | -0.5% |
| 1959 | 27.9% | -0.8% |
| 1960 | 27.7% | -0.9% |
| 1961 | 27.4% | -0.9% |
| 1962 | 27.2% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 26.8% | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 26.6% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 26.4% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 26.2% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 26.3% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 26.4% | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 26.2% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 25.7% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 25.3% | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 24.7% | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 24.2% | -2.3% |
| 1974 | 23.6% | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 23.2% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 22.8% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 22.4% | -1.8% |
| 1978 | 22.0% | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 21.6% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 21.3% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 21.1% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 20.9% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 20.7% | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 20.6% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 20.4% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 20.5% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 20.4% | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 20.4% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 20.2% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 20.0% | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 20.1% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 19.6% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 19.4% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 19.3% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 19.1% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 19.2% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 18.7% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 18.5% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 18.4% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 18.2% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 17.9% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 17.6% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 16.9% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 16.4% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 15.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 15.1% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 14.7% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 14.3% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 13.9% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 11.9% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 11.3% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 10.4% | -4.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 10.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 10.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.5%, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 28.8% | 27.9% | 29.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 26.7% | 26.2% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.5% | 21.6% | 25.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.6% | 20.2% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.2% | 18.4% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.6% | 14.7% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 10.4% | 14.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality rate in Nigeria?
- Child mortality rate in Nigeria was 10.4% in 2019, according to IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child mortality rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 1950.
- What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2019.
- How does Nigeria rank for child mortality rate?
- Nigeria ranks 6th out of 204 countries with data for 2019.
- Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Probability of death before the age of five.