Maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria
Nigeria: Maternal mortality ratio was 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
1st
of 195 countries
All-time high
1,363 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 1986
All-time low
992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births
in 2023
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria, 1985–2023
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in Deaths per 100 000 live births.
Analysis
The most recent figure for maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria is 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria peaked at 1,363 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 1986 and was at its lowest, 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 1st of 195 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Deaths per 100 000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,344 Deaths per 100 000 live births | — |
| 1986 | 1,363 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 1,351 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 1,332 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.4% |
| 1989 | 1,304 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 1,285 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 1,282 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 1,246 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 1,200 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 1,193 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1,186 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 1,185 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 1,184 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 1,189 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 1,165 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 1,136 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 1,130 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1,117 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 1,090 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 1,075 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 1,060 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 1,067 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 1,063 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 1,081 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 1,088 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 1,094 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1,108 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 1,124 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 1,146 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 1,155 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 1,168 Deaths per 100 000 live births | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 1,155 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 1,142 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 1,118 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 1,091 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 1,065 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 1,046 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 1,016 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births | -2.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 146.37 Deaths per 100 000 live births, 6.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 267.03 Deaths per 100 000 live births, 3.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,339 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,304 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,363 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 5 |
| 1990s | 1,212 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,165 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,285 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,091 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,060 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,136 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,130 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,091 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,168 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,030 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 1,065 Deaths per 100 000 live births | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 2 Chad 747.54 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
- 3 South Sudan 691.82 Deaths per 100 000 live births compare
- 4 Central African Republic 691.74 Deaths per 100 000 live births 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 maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria?
- Maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria was 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 2023, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 1,363 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 1986.
- What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 992.83 Deaths per 100 000 live births in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for maternal mortality ratio?
- Nigeria ranks 1st out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is maternal mortality ratio rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of women who die from maternal conditions per 100,000 live births.