Number of infant deaths (United Nations) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of infant deaths (United Nations) was 519,644 deaths in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
519,644 deaths
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
2nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
528,639 deaths
in 1968
All-time low
367,845 deaths
in 1977
Years of data
60
1965–2024
Number of infant deaths in Nigeria, 1965–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2024, number of infant deaths in Nigeria stood at 519,644 deaths.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of infant deaths in Nigeria peaked at 528,639 deaths in 1968 and was at its lowest, 367,845 deaths, in 1977.
Nigeria ranks 2nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 60 years of available data.
Number of infant deaths (United Nations) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 378,308 deaths | — |
| 1966 | 378,023 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 377,820 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 528,639 deaths | +39.9% |
| 1969 | 522,359 deaths | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 521,516 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 370,421 deaths | -29.0% |
| 1972 | 372,762 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 370,757 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 370,061 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 369,738 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 368,707 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 367,845 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 368,951 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 368,936 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 368,822 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 370,544 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 374,669 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 381,860 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 387,235 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 391,757 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 398,918 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 406,681 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 416,547 deaths | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 428,592 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 440,182 deaths | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 449,999 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 460,348 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 471,543 deaths | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 482,333 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 493,259 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 501,670 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 505,105 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 505,289 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 505,850 deaths | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 508,820 deaths | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 508,546 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 504,516 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 499,683 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 494,529 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 490,402 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 487,862 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 485,578 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 485,494 deaths | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 487,080 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 488,444 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 490,579 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 492,146 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 493,174 deaths | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 496,495 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 498,939 deaths | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 498,287 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 497,432 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 497,680 deaths | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 498,051 deaths | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 497,425 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 502,722 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 511,084 deaths | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 517,049 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 519,644 deaths | +0.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 519,644 deaths is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7,969 deaths, 65.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 519,644 deaths is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22,678 deaths, 22.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of infant deaths (United Nations) in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | +39.9% | 377,820 deaths | 528,639 deaths |
| 1971 | -29.0% | 521,516 deaths | 370,421 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 437,030 deaths | 377,820 deaths | 528,639 deaths | 5 |
| 1970s | 384,969 deaths | 367,845 deaths | 521,516 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 392,562 deaths | 368,822 deaths | 428,592 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 481,558 deaths | 440,182 deaths | 505,850 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 495,251 deaths | 485,494 deaths | 508,820 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 495,123 deaths | 488,444 deaths | 498,939 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 509,585 deaths | 497,425 deaths | 519,644 deaths | 5 |
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)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0729 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of infant deaths in Nigeria?
- Number of infant deaths in Nigeria was 519,644 deaths in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of infant deaths recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 528,639 deaths in 1968.
- What is the lowest number of infant deaths recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 367,845 deaths in 1977.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of infant deaths?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of infant deaths rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of infant deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged under 1 .