Infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria
Nigeria: Infant mortality rate by sex was 6.32 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria, 1964–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.
Analysis
In 2024, infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria stood at 6.32 deaths per 100 live births.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria peaked at 20.71 deaths per 100 live births in 1968 and was at its lowest, 6.15 deaths per 100 live births, in 2014.
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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.08 deaths per 100 live births | 14.83 deaths per 100 live births | 20.71 deaths per 100 live births | 6 |
| 1970s | 12.35 deaths per 100 live births | 10.06 deaths per 100 live births | 19.63 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.56 deaths per 100 live births | 9.46 deaths per 100 live births | 9.83 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.46 deaths per 100 live births | 8.97 deaths per 100 live births | 9.62 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.46 deaths per 100 live births | 6.49 deaths per 100 live births | 8.71 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.22 deaths per 100 live births | 6.15 deaths per 100 live births | 6.39 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.33 deaths per 100 live births | 6.29 deaths per 100 live births | 6.35 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- 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)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 726 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 726 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 2.03 million (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 1.96 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 2.13 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 2.06 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 2.23 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 2.15 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria?
- Infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria was 6.32 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate by sex recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 20.71 deaths per 100 live births in 1968.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate by sex recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.15 deaths per 100 live births in 2014.
- How does Nigeria rank for infant mortality rate by sex?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate by sex rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality rate by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The estimated number of deaths of female children aged under one year, per 100 live births .