Mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria

Nigeria: Mental health and substance use disorders deaths was 1,779 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
1,779 deaths
Change on year
up 15.8%
World rank
22nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
1,779 deaths
in 2021
All-time low
908.48 deaths
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria, 2000–2021

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2000201020212000: 908.5 deaths2001: 963.9 deaths2002: 969.2 deaths2003: 988 deaths2004: 1.0k deaths2005: 1.1k deaths2006: 1.1k deaths2007: 1.1k deaths2008: 1.2k deaths2009: 1.2k deaths2010: 1.2k deaths2011: 1.2k deaths2012: 1.2k deaths2013: 1.2k deaths2014: 1.3k deaths2015: 1.3k deaths2016: 1.3k deaths2017: 1.3k deaths2018: 1.4k deaths2019: 1.4k deaths2020: 1.5k deaths2021: 1.8k deaths

Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

In 2021, mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria stood at 1,779 deaths. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.8% on the previous year and up 45.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria peaked at 1,779 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 908.48 deaths, in 2000.

Nigeria ranks 22nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria, 2000 to 2021.
Year deaths Change
2000 908.48 deaths
2001 963.93 deaths +6.1%
2002 969.24 deaths +0.6%
2003 987.96 deaths +1.9%
2004 1,036 deaths +4.9%
2005 1,051 deaths +1.4%
2006 1,101 deaths +4.8%
2007 1,140 deaths +3.5%
2008 1,169 deaths +2.6%
2009 1,227 deaths +4.9%
2010 1,234 deaths +0.6%
2011 1,220 deaths -1.1%
2012 1,225 deaths +0.4%
2013 1,237 deaths +1.0%
2014 1,250 deaths +1.1%
2015 1,253 deaths +0.2%
2016 1,264 deaths +0.9%
2017 1,295 deaths +2.4%
2018 1,356 deaths +4.7%
2019 1,413 deaths +4.2%
2020 1,536 deaths +8.7%
2021 1,779 deaths +15.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,055 deaths 908.48 deaths 1,227 deaths 10
2010s 1,275 deaths 1,220 deaths 1,413 deaths 10
2020s 1,657 deaths 1,536 deaths 1,779 deaths 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 19 South Africa 2,033 deaths compare
  2. 20 Pakistan 1,983 deaths compare
  3. 21 Australia 1,866 deaths compare
  4. 23 Philippines 1,727 deaths compare
  5. 24 Italy 1,694 deaths compare
  6. 25 Spain 1,634 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria?
Mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria was 1,779 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest mental health and substance use disorders deaths recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 1,779 deaths in 2021.
What is the lowest mental health and substance use disorders deaths recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 908.48 deaths in 2000.
How does Nigeria rank for mental health and substance use disorders deaths?
Nigeria ranks 22nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
Is mental health and substance use disorders deaths rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Mental health and substance use disorders deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Mental health and substance use disorders deaths in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/deaths-from-mental-health-and-substance-use-disorders-who/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Mental health and substance use disorders deaths
Unit
deaths
Source
World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths from mental and substance use disorders in both sexes.