Infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria
Nigeria: Infant mortality rate by sex was 6.32 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
6.32 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
2nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
20.71 deaths per 100 live births
in 1968
All-time low
6.15 deaths per 100 live births
in 2014
Years of data
61
1964–2024
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.
Infant mortality rate by sex in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 15.97 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1965 | 15.59 deaths per 100 live births | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 15.21 deaths per 100 live births | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 14.83 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1968 | 20.71 deaths per 100 live births | +39.6% |
| 1969 | 20.18 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 19.63 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 13.23 deaths per 100 live births | -32.6% |
| 1972 | 12.79 deaths per 100 live births | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 12.34 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 1974 | 11.89 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 1975 | 11.46 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 11.05 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 10.67 deaths per 100 live births | -3.4% |
| 1978 | 10.34 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 1979 | 10.06 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 9.83 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 9.67 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 9.55 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 9.48 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 9.46 deaths per 100 live births | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 9.47 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 9.5 deaths per 100 live births | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 9.53 deaths per 100 live births | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 9.56 deaths per 100 live births | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 9.57 deaths per 100 live births | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 9.57 deaths per 100 live births | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 9.58 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 9.6 deaths per 100 live births | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 9.62 deaths per 100 live births | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 9.61 deaths per 100 live births | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 9.57 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 9.5 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 9.38 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 9.18 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 8.97 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 8.71 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 8.4 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 8.09 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 7.79 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 7.48 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 7.22 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 6.97 deaths per 100 live births | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 6.78 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 6.61 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 6.49 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 6.39 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 6.29 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 6.22 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 6.16 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 6.15 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.15 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 6.16 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6.18 deaths per 100 live births | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 6.21 deaths per 100 live births | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 6.25 deaths per 100 live births | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 6.29 deaths per 100 live births | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 6.32 deaths per 100 live births | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 6.35 deaths per 100 live births | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 6.35 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6.32 deaths per 100 live births | -0.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 6.32 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.51 deaths per 100 live births, 2.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 6.32 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.31 deaths per 100 live births, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Infant mortality rate 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 | +39.6% | 14.83 deaths per 100 live births | 20.71 deaths per 100 live births |
| 1971 | -32.6% | 19.63 deaths per 100 live births | 13.23 deaths per 100 live births |
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
- 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 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
Estimated number of deaths of female children aged under one year, per 100 live births .