Infant mortality rate in Nigeria
Nigeria: Infant mortality rate was 6.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of infants.
Analysis
In 2023, infant mortality rate in Nigeria stood at 6.9%. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Nigeria peaked at 16.3% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 2nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.0% | 15.6% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 15.2% | 14.7% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.5% | 12.3% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.0% | 11.9% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.6% | 11.0% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.7% | 8.8% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.2% | 7.6% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 6.9% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 1 Sierra Leone 7.2% compare
- 3 Central African Republic 6.8% compare
- 4 Somalia 6.6% compare
- 5 Guinea 6.5% compare
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 in Nigeria?
- Infant mortality rate in Nigeria was 6.9% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for infant mortality rate?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Infant mortality rate. 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
The share of newborns who die before reaching the age of one.