Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria

Nigeria: Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff was 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births
Change on year
down 6.7%
World rank
3rd
of 185 countries
All-time high
1,316 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 1986
All-time low
1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births
in 2020
Years of data
36
1985–2020

Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria, 1985–2020

05001.0k1.5k1985200220201985: 1.3k deaths per 100,000 live births1986: 1.3k deaths per 100,000 live births1987: 1.3k deaths per 100,000 live births1988: 1.3k deaths per 100,000 live births1989: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1990: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1991: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1992: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1993: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1994: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1995: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1996: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1997: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1998: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births1999: 1.2k deaths per 100,000 live births2000: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2001: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2002: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2003: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2004: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2005: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2006: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2007: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2008: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2009: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2010: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2011: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2012: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2013: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2014: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2015: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2016: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2017: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2018: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2019: 1.1k deaths per 100,000 live births2020: 1.0k deaths per 100,000 live births

Source: UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 live births.

Analysis

The most recent figure for maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria is 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is down 6.7% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria peaked at 1,316 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births, in 2020.

Nigeria ranks 3rd of 185 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria, 1985 to 2020.
Year deaths per 100,000 live births Change
1985 1,283 deaths per 100,000 live births
1986 1,316 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.6%
1987 1,287 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.2%
1988 1,261 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.0%
1989 1,212 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.9%
1990 1,209 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.3%
1991 1,217 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.7%
1992 1,209 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.7%
1993 1,190 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.6%
1994 1,223 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.8%
1995 1,171 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.3%
1996 1,174 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.3%
1997 1,186 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.0%
1998 1,220 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.8%
1999 1,177 deaths per 100,000 live births -3.5%
2000 1,148 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.5%
2001 1,127 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.8%
2002 1,112 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.3%
2003 1,084 deaths per 100,000 live births -2.5%
2004 1,088 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.4%
2005 1,073 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.4%
2006 1,071 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.2%
2007 1,081 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.9%
2008 1,099 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.8%
2009 1,101 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.1%
2010 1,123 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.0%
2011 1,070 deaths per 100,000 live births -4.7%
2012 1,087 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.7%
2013 1,109 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.0%
2014 1,135 deaths per 100,000 live births +2.4%
2015 1,113 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.9%
2016 1,129 deaths per 100,000 live births +1.4%
2017 1,127 deaths per 100,000 live births -0.2%
2018 1,135 deaths per 100,000 live births +0.8%
2019 1,122 deaths per 100,000 live births -1.2%
2020 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births -6.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1,272 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,212 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,316 deaths per 100,000 live births 5
1990s 1,198 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,171 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,223 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2000s 1,098 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,071 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,148 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2010s 1,115 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,070 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,135 deaths per 100,000 live births 10
2020s 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births 1

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 South Sudan 1,223 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  2. 2 Chad 1,063 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  3. 4 Central African Republic 835.27 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  4. 5 Guinea-Bissau 725.09 deaths per 100,000 live births compare
  5. 6 Liberia 652.34 deaths per 100,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More health data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria?
Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria was 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, according to UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 1,316 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1986.
What is the lowest maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 1,047 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
How does Nigeria rank for maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff?
Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/maternal-mortality-vs-births-attended-by-health-staff/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Maternal mortality ratio vs. births attended by skilled health staff
Unit
deaths per 100,000 live births
Source
UN MMEIG (2023) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 6,660 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.