Life expectancy at birth, total in Nigeria
Nigeria: Life expectancy at birth, total was 54.63 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
54.63 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
218th
of 218 countries
All-time high
54.63 years
in 2024
All-time low
37.21 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Nigeria, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 54.63 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Nigeria peaked at 54.63 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.21 years, in 1960.
That places Nigeria 218th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 37.21 years | — |
| 1961 | 37.43 years | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 37.61 years | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 37.81 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 37.98 years | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 38.22 years | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 38.35 years | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 37.5 years | -2.2% |
| 1968 | 38.64 years | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 38.95 years | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 40.01 years | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 40.61 years | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 41.27 years | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 41.83 years | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 42.49 years | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 43.05 years | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 44.19 years | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 44.85 years | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 45.35 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 45.74 years | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 45.96 years | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 46.31 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 46.44 years | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 46.44 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 46.34 years | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 46.19 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 45.95 years | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 45.89 years | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 45.83 years | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 45.83 years | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 45.73 years | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 45.48 years | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 45.59 years | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 45.78 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 45.75 years | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 45.87 years | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 45.83 years | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 45.96 years | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 46.15 years | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 46.61 years | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 47.14 years | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 47.55 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 48.02 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 48.62 years | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 49.15 years | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 49.54 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 49.88 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 50.38 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 50.75 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 51.08 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 51.31 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 51.49 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 51.69 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 51.83 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 51.94 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 51.94 years | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 52.19 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 52.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 52.67 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 53.01 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 53.07 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 53.45 years | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 54.08 years | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 54.46 years | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 54.63 years | +0.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 54.63 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.9 years, 80% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 54.63 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.97 years | 37.21 years | 38.95 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 42.94 years | 40.01 years | 45.74 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.12 years | 45.83 years | 46.44 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.88 years | 45.48 years | 46.61 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.21 years | 47.14 years | 51.08 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.05 years | 51.31 years | 53.01 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.94 years | 53.07 years | 54.63 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 215 South Sudan 57.74 years compare
- 216 Central African Republic 57.67 years compare
- 217 Chad 55.24 years 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)
- 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 life expectancy at birth, total in Nigeria?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Nigeria was 54.63 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 54.63 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.21 years in 1960.
- How does Nigeria rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Nigeria ranks 218th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.