Infant mortality by sex in Nigeria
Nigeria: Infant mortality by sex was 7.6 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality by sex in Nigeria, 1964–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for infant mortality by sex in Nigeria is 7.6, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality by sex in Nigeria peaked at 22.81 in 1968 and was at its lowest, 7.42, in 2015.
That places Nigeria 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Infant mortality by sex in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 18.33 | — |
| 1965 | 17.86 | -2.5% |
| 1966 | 17.42 | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 17 | -2.4% |
| 1968 | 22.81 | +34.1% |
| 1969 | 22.25 | -2.5% |
| 1970 | 21.63 | -2.8% |
| 1971 | 15.19 | -29.8% |
| 1972 | 14.7 | -3.2% |
| 1973 | 14.2 | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 13.71 | -3.5% |
| 1975 | 13.22 | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 12.77 | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 12.36 | -3.2% |
| 1978 | 12 | -3.0% |
| 1979 | 11.68 | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 11.42 | -2.2% |
| 1981 | 11.23 | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 11.1 | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 11.06 | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 11.06 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 11.09 | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 11.14 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 11.19 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 11.24 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 11.27 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 11.3 | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 11.32 | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 11.31 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 11.28 | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 11.26 | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 11.22 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 11.14 | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 10.99 | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 10.81 | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 10.53 | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 10.23 | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 9.92 | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 9.6 | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 9.29 | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 9.01 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 8.75 | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 8.52 | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 8.3 | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 8.12 | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 7.94 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 7.79 | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 7.67 | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 7.58 | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 7.51 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 7.46 | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 7.42 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 7.42 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 7.45 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 7.49 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 7.53 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 7.57 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 7.61 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 7.65 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 7.65 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7.6 | -0.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 7.6 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15, 2.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 7.6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.11, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Infant mortality by sex in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | +34.1% | 17 | 22.81 |
| 1971 | -29.8% | 21.63 | 15.19 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 19.28 | 17 | 22.81 | 6 |
| 1970s | 14.15 | 11.68 | 21.63 | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.18 | 11.06 | 11.42 | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.12 | 10.53 | 11.32 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.97 | 7.94 | 10.23 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.53 | 7.42 | 7.79 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.62 | 7.57 | 7.65 | 5 |
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)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,301 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 257,921 (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 infant mortality by sex in Nigeria?
- Infant mortality by sex in Nigeria was 7.6 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality by sex recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 22.81 in 1968.
- What is the lowest infant mortality by sex recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.42 in 2015.
- How does Nigeria rank for infant mortality by sex?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality by sex rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).