Number of deaths in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of deaths was 1.71 million deaths in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
1.71 million deaths
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
7th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.73 million deaths
in 2020
All-time low
1.64 million deaths
in 2009
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Number of deaths in Nigeria, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 1.71 million deaths for number of deaths in 2021.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of deaths in Nigeria peaked at 1.73 million deaths in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.64 million deaths, in 2009.
That places Nigeria 7th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Number of deaths in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.66 million deaths | — |
| 2001 | 1.67 million deaths | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 1.67 million deaths | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 1.67 million deaths | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 1.67 million deaths | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.66 million deaths | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 1.65 million deaths | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.64 million deaths | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.64 million deaths | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 1.64 million deaths | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.65 million deaths | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.65 million deaths | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.66 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.66 million deaths | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1.67 million deaths | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 1.68 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 1.69 million deaths | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.69 million deaths | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.70 million deaths | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 1.69 million deaths | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 1.73 million deaths | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.71 million deaths | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.66 million deaths | 1.64 million deaths | 1.67 million deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.67 million deaths | 1.65 million deaths | 1.70 million deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.72 million deaths | 1.71 million deaths | 1.73 million deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
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)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.842 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1997 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.8652 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2055 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of deaths in Nigeria?
- Number of deaths in Nigeria was 1.71 million deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of deaths recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 1.73 million deaths in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of deaths recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.64 million deaths in 2009.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of deaths?
- Nigeria ranks 7th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of deaths rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from all causes in both sexes.