Number of maternal deaths (Our World) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of maternal deaths (Our World) was 74,559 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
74,559
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
1st
of 195 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
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 195 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 (Our World) in Nigeria, year by year
| 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% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 74,559 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 456.54, 163.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 74,559 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,443, 51.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 257,921 (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 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 195 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).