Sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria
Nigeria: Sex gap in life expectancy was 0.5671 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
0.5671 years
Change on year
down 4.9%
World rank
235th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.92 years
in 1967
All-time low
0.4718 years
in 2019
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria stood at 0.5671 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.9% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria peaked at 4.92 years in 1967 and was at its lowest, 0.4718 years, in 2019.
That places Nigeria 235th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.95 years | — |
| 1951 | 3.97 years | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 3.91 years | -1.6% |
| 1953 | 3.98 years | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 3.96 years | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 4.21 years | +6.3% |
| 1956 | 4.15 years | -1.4% |
| 1957 | 4.17 years | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 4.2 years | +0.7% |
| 1959 | 4.22 years | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 4.19 years | -0.7% |
| 1961 | 4.24 years | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 4.15 years | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 4.17 years | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 4.21 years | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 4.22 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 4.1 years | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 4.92 years | +20.0% |
| 1968 | 4.65 years | -5.6% |
| 1969 | 4.5 years | -3.1% |
| 1970 | 3.31 years | -26.5% |
| 1971 | 3.33 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 3.54 years | +6.3% |
| 1973 | 3.71 years | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 3.86 years | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 4.14 years | +7.2% |
| 1976 | 2.94 years | -29.0% |
| 1977 | 2.93 years | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 3.05 years | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 3.15 years | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 3.28 years | +4.3% |
| 1981 | 3.37 years | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 3.45 years | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 3.34 years | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 3.32 years | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 3.27 years | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 3.02 years | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 2.91 years | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 2.9 years | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 2.85 years | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 2.75 years | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 2.91 years | +5.6% |
| 1992 | 2.86 years | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 3.13 years | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 3.12 years | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 3 years | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 2.82 years | -6.1% |
| 1997 | 2.54 years | -10.0% |
| 1998 | 2.06 years | -18.6% |
| 1999 | 1.85 years | -10.2% |
| 2000 | 1.78 years | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 1.36 years | -23.6% |
| 2002 | 1.04 years | -23.8% |
| 2003 | 0.8902 years | -14.3% |
| 2004 | 0.7284 years | -18.2% |
| 2005 | 1.08 years | +48.8% |
| 2006 | 1.09 years | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.09 years | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.9008 years | -17.1% |
| 2009 | 0.9825 years | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 0.9151 years | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 0.7525 years | -17.8% |
| 2012 | 0.6731 years | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 0.712 years | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 0.7419 years | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 0.6178 years | -16.7% |
| 2016 | 0.4903 years | -20.6% |
| 2017 | 0.4938 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.4992 years | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.4718 years | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 0.7251 years | +53.7% |
| 2021 | 0.5774 years | -20.4% |
| 2022 | 0.5966 years | +3.3% |
| 2023 | 0.5671 years | -4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.07 years | 3.91 years | 4.22 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.33 years | 4.1 years | 4.92 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.4 years | 2.93 years | 4.14 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.17 years | 2.85 years | 3.45 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7 years | 1.85 years | 3.13 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.09 years | 0.7284 years | 1.78 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6368 years | 0.4718 years | 0.9151 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6165 years | 0.5671 years | 0.7251 years | 4 |
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)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 3.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per capita 0.0064 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 2.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.0047 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in Nigeria was 0.5671 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.92 years in 1967.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4718 years in 2019.
- How does Nigeria rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- Nigeria ranks 235th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.