Number of maternal deaths in Nigeria

Nigeria: Number of maternal deaths was 74,559 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
74,559
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
1st
of 194 countries
All-time high
86,725
in 2015
All-time low
52,355
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Number of maternal deaths in Nigeria, 1985–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k1985200420231985: 52.4k1986: 53.9k1987: 54.3k1988: 54.8k1989: 55.2k1990: 55.6k1991: 56.7k1992: 56.4k1993: 55.6k1994: 56.6k1995: 57.9k1996: 59.1k1997: 60.1k1998: 61.6k1999: 62.3k2000: 63.0k2001: 64.5k2002: 65.3k2003: 65.4k2004: 65.9k2005: 66.7k2006: 68.7k2007: 69.9k2008: 72.9k2009: 74.9k2010: 76.8k2011: 79.4k2012: 81.4k2013: 83.9k2014: 85.7k2015: 86.7k2016: 85.3k2017: 83.9k2018: 81.8k2019: 79.3k2020: 76.9k2021: 76.7k2022: 75.3k2023: 74.6k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 74,559 for number of maternal deaths in 2023.

That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of maternal deaths in Nigeria peaked at 86,725 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 52,355, in 1985.

That places Nigeria 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Number of maternal deaths in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Number of maternal deaths in Nigeria, 1985 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1985 52,355
1986 53,872 +2.9%
1987 54,278 +0.8%
1988 54,805 +1.0%
1989 55,229 +0.8%
1990 55,571 +0.6%
1991 56,655 +2.0%
1992 56,382 -0.5%
1993 55,643 -1.3%
1994 56,644 +1.8%
1995 57,926 +2.3%
1996 59,125 +2.1%
1997 60,136 +1.7%
1998 61,586 +2.4%
1999 62,297 +1.2%
2000 62,998 +1.1%
2001 64,462 +2.3%
2002 65,313 +1.3%
2003 65,392 +0.1%
2004 65,931 +0.8%
2005 66,656 +1.1%
2006 68,693 +3.1%
2007 69,912 +1.8%
2008 72,948 +4.3%
2009 74,933 +2.7%
2010 76,804 +2.5%
2011 79,359 +3.3%
2012 81,441 +2.6%
2013 83,910 +3.0%
2014 85,684 +2.1%
2015 86,725 +1.2%
2016 85,280 -1.7%
2017 83,900 -1.6%
2018 81,801 -2.5%
2019 79,270 -3.1%
2020 76,855 -3.0%
2021 76,691 -0.2%
2022 75,278 -1.8%
2023 74,559 -1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 54,108 52,355 55,229 5
1990s 58,197 55,571 62,297 10
2000s 67,724 62,998 74,933 10
2010s 82,417 76,804 86,725 10
2020s 75,846 74,559 76,855 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 Cook Islands 0.0002 compare
  2. 2 India 18,688 compare
  3. 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18,660 compare
  4. 4 Pakistan 10,669 compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More health data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of maternal deaths in Nigeria?
Number of maternal deaths in Nigeria was 74,559 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 86,725 in 2015.
What is the lowest number of maternal deaths recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 52,355 in 1985.
How does Nigeria rank for number of maternal deaths?
Nigeria ranks 1st out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of maternal deaths rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of maternal deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of maternal deaths in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-maternal-deaths-2/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of maternal deaths
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
195 places, 7,605 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed