Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria
Nigeria: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 54.18 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
54.18 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
235th
of 236 countries
All-time high
54.18 years
in 2023
All-time low
33.59 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria is 54.18 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria peaked at 54.18 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 33.59 years, in 1950.
Nigeria ranks 235th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 33.59 years | — |
| 1951 | 33.77 years | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 33.96 years | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 34.09 years | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 34.29 years | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 34.28 years | -0.0% |
| 1956 | 34.45 years | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 34.58 years | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 34.78 years | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 34.97 years | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 35.16 years | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 35.36 years | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 35.58 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 35.77 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 35.93 years | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 36.17 years | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 36.35 years | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 35.13 years | -3.4% |
| 1968 | 36.4 years | +3.6% |
| 1969 | 36.77 years | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 38.38 years | +4.4% |
| 1971 | 38.97 years | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 39.53 years | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 40.01 years | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 40.59 years | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 41.03 years | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 42.73 years | +4.1% |
| 1977 | 43.39 years | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 43.84 years | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 44.18 years | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 44.34 years | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 44.65 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 44.74 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 44.79 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 44.7 years | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 44.58 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 44.46 years | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 44.46 years | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 44.41 years | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 44.42 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 44.38 years | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 44.05 years | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 44.18 years | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 44.25 years | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 44.22 years | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 44.4 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 44.45 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 44.71 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 45.12 years | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 45.69 years | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 46.26 years | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 46.87 years | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 47.5 years | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 48.17 years | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 48.78 years | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 48.99 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 49.33 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 49.84 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 50.29 years | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 50.59 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 50.85 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 51.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 51.34 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 51.47 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 51.56 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 51.63 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 51.94 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 52.15 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 52.41 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 52.77 years | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 52.71 years | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 53.16 years | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 53.78 years | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 54.18 years | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 34.28 years | 33.59 years | 34.97 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 35.86 years | 35.13 years | 36.77 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.27 years | 38.38 years | 44.18 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 44.56 years | 44.34 years | 44.79 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.54 years | 44.05 years | 45.69 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.66 years | 46.26 years | 50.59 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.72 years | 50.85 years | 52.77 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.46 years | 52.71 years | 54.18 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 232 Central African Republic 55.26 years compare
- 233 South Sudan 54.64 years compare
- 234 Lesotho 54.62 years compare
- 236 Chad 53.2 years compare
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 life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Nigeria was 54.18 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 54.18 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.59 years in 1950.
- How does Nigeria rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Nigeria ranks 235th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.