Infant mortality rates (Our World) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Infant mortality rates (Our World) was 6.95 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.95
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
2nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
16.26
in 1950
All-time low
6.95
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Infant mortality rates in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, infant mortality rates in Nigeria stood at 6.95. 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 rates in Nigeria peaked at 16.26 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 6.95, 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.
Infant mortality rates (Our World) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 16.26 | — |
| 1951 | 16.2 | -0.4% |
| 1952 | 16.13 | -0.4% |
| 1953 | 16.06 | -0.4% |
| 1954 | 15.99 | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 15.93 | -0.4% |
| 1956 | 15.86 | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 15.79 | -0.4% |
| 1958 | 15.72 | -0.4% |
| 1959 | 15.65 | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 15.57 | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 15.49 | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 15.41 | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 15.33 | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 15.25 | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 15.17 | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 15.1 | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 15.15 | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 14.8 | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 14.67 | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 14.51 | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 14.34 | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 14.12 | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 13.92 | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 13.69 | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 13.46 | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 12.98 | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 12.74 | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 12.51 | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 12.32 | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 12.18 | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 12.04 | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 11.96 | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 11.9 | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 11.89 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 11.88 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 11.9 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 11.91 | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 11.93 | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 11.93 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 11.92 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 11.92 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 11.87 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 11.82 | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 11.75 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 11.65 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 11.53 | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 11.38 | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 11.21 | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 11.02 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 10.79 | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 10.56 | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 10.31 | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 10.07 | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 9.82 | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 9.58 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 9.35 | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 9.14 | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 8.95 | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 8.79 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 8.65 | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 8.52 | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 8.41 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 8.31 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 8.22 | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 8.13 | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 8.02 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 7.91 | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 7.78 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 7.63 | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 7.47 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 7.3 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 7.12 | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 6.95 | -2.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 6.95 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.97, 2.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 6.95 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.74, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 15.96 | 15.65 | 16.26 | 10 |
| 1960s | 15.19 | 14.67 | 15.57 | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.46 | 12.32 | 14.51 | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.95 | 11.88 | 12.18 | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.61 | 11.02 | 11.92 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.73 | 8.79 | 10.79 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.16 | 7.63 | 8.65 | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.21 | 6.95 | 7.47 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 1 Sierra Leone 7.16 compare
- 3 Central African Republic 6.85 compare
- 4 Somalia 6.63 compare
- 5 Guinea 6.54 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)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0729 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rates in Nigeria?
- Infant mortality rates in Nigeria was 6.95 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rates recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 16.26 in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rates recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.95 in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for infant mortality rates?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant mortality rates 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality rates. 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).