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What Is the Life Expectancy in Nigeria? [2025 Statistics]
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📊 Statistics & Data Report — Verified Sources · Charts & Trends
NigeriaLife ExpectancyWHO 2025World BankIHME GBDGender BreakdownCountry Comparison
What Is the Life Expectancy in Nigeria? [2025 Statistics]
A Nigerian born today is expected to live just 55 years — barely two-thirds of the lifespan of someone born in Japan or Switzerland. Behind that single number lies a story of preventable disease, maternal death, child mortality, and a healthcare system under enormous strain. Every figure below is sourced, verified, and visualised.
🔬 Primary Answer — Life Expectancy at Birth
55.2
years at birth · Nigeria national average (2023)
♂ Men 54.1 yrs
♀ Women 56.4 yrs
Nigeria's life expectancy of 55.2 years is 18 years below the global average of 73.3 years — and roughly 30 years below high-income countries like Japan (84.3 yrs) and the UK (81.3 yrs).
Sources: World Bank · WHO Global Health Observatory · IHME GBD 2023 · UNDP HDR 2024
196036 yrs
198044 yrs
200046 yrs
201050 yrs
202355.2 yrs
SDG 2030 targetNot on track
🔍 Commonly Searched Topics
- Nigeria life expectancy 2024 2025
- Life expectancy Nigeria men vs women
- Why is life expectancy low in Nigeria?
- Nigeria life expectancy by state
- Nigeria vs Africa life expectancy WHO data
- Nigeria healthy life expectancy HALE
- How to increase life expectancy Nigeria
🌍 Reader Locations
- 🇳🇬 Nigeria — primary audience
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom — diaspora & researchers
- 🇺🇸 United States — public health academics
- 🇬🇭 Ghana — West African comparisons
- 🇿🇦 South Africa — policy benchmarking
- 🇨🇦 Canada — global health researchers
- 🇦🇺 Australia — academic & diaspora readers
🌐
Section 1 — Global Context
Life Expectancy Around the World: Where Nigeria Stands
Global life expectancy has risen steadily for decades — but that progress has been deeply unequal. Nigeria's 55.2-year average places it among the nations where people live the shortest lives on earth, 18 years below the world average and 30 years behind the longest-lived nations.
73.3
Global average life expectancy (2023)
The global average life expectancy at birth is 73.3 years in 2023 — up from 68.6 years in 2000. Nigeria's 55.2 years sits 18.1 years below this average, one of the largest national gaps from the global mean found anywhere in the world.
WHO Global Health Observatory · 2024
55.2
Nigeria's life expectancy at birth (2023)
At 55.2 years, Nigeria ranks in the bottom 20 countries globally. This is lower than the global average was in 1985 — meaning a Nigerian born today is expected to live about as long as the average person worldwide did 40 years ago.
World Bank / WHO · 2024
+19 yrs
Nigeria's life expectancy gain since 1960
Nigeria's life expectancy has improved from approximately 36 years at independence in 1960 to 55.2 in 2023 — a real gain of 19 years reflecting progress in vaccination, nutrition, and child survival, though the pace has lagged peer nations significantly.
World Bank Time Series · 2024
+2.3 yrs
Women outlive men in Nigeria
Nigerian women (56.4 years) outlive men (54.1 years) by 2.3 years — the near-universal global pattern. However, Nigeria's extremely high maternal mortality rate (993 per 100,000 live births) dramatically narrows this female advantage compared to high-income countries where women outlive men by 5–7 years.
WHO · World Bank · NDHS 2023
3.8%
Nigeria's health expenditure as % of GDP (2022)
Nigeria spends approximately 3.8% of GDP on healthcare — well below the WHO-recommended minimum of 5%, and far below high-income countries (USA: 17%, UK: 11%). This chronic underinvestment translates directly into avoidable deaths and shortened lives. Nigeria spends ~$27 per capita on health; the UK spends ~$3,400.
World Bank Health Data · 2022
48.7 yrs
Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE) — Nigeria
Nigeria's Healthy Life Expectancy — years expected to be lived in full health — is only 48.7 years (WHO, 2022). The average Nigerian spends approximately 6.5 of their 55.2 years in illness, disability, or poor health. Japan's HALE is 74.8 years — a gap of 26 healthy years.
WHO GHO · 2022
📌 The 30-Year Gap — What It Really Means
A Nigerian born today will on average live 30 fewer years than someone born in Japan — and most of those lost years are stolen in childhood.
Japan's life expectancy is 84.3 years. Nigeria's is 55.2. That 29-year gap is not primarily explained by differences in adult lifestyle or genetics — it is overwhelmingly driven by: high infant mortality (54.7 per 1,000 live births), a heavy burden of infectious disease (malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, typhoid), one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates (993 per 100,000 live births), and a healthcare system where the doctor-to-patient ratio is 1:5,000 in many states — five times worse than the WHO minimum. Every Nigerian who survives childhood, avoids maternal death, and accesses basic chronic disease care has a life expectancy far closer to the global average. Nigeria's low life expectancy is primarily a story of early, preventable deaths — not of short adult lifespans.
WHO · World Bank · NDHS 2023 · IHME GBD 2022 · UNDP Human Development Report 2024🇳🇬
Section 2 — Nigeria Deep Dive
Nigeria's Life Expectancy: Full Data Dashboard
Life expectancy in Nigeria varies dramatically by gender, geography, and socioeconomic status. The national average of 55.2 years conceals a country of deeply unequal outcomes — where your state of birth and income level determine how long you will live almost as powerfully as your health behaviours.
Nigeria Life Expectancy Dashboard — 2025
WHO · World Bank · IHME · NDHS
55.2
Overall life expectancy at birth (yrs)
World Bank · 2023
54.1
Male life expectancy (yrs)
WHO · 2023
56.4
Female life expectancy (yrs)
WHO · 2023
993
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births
WHO · NDHS 2023
Nigeria's 55.2-year national average conceals massive geographic inequality. South West states — particularly Lagos and Ogun — show effective life expectancy estimates approaching 60–62 years, driven by better healthcare access, higher incomes, and lower disease burden. By contrast, North West and North East zones — where infant mortality rates exceed 80 per 1,000 and skilled birth attendance falls below 25% — show effective life expectancy estimates closer to 48–51 years. This internal 10–12 year gap represents one of the starkest within-nation health inequalities anywhere in the world.
Wealth quintile is as powerful a predictor as geography. A Nigerian in the top wealth quintile lives an estimated 12–15 years longer than one in the bottom quintile (IHME sub-national estimates). Access to private healthcare, nutrition, clean water, and education — not genetics — determines how long most Nigerians live.
Nigerian Men
54.1
years at birth · 2.3 years less than women
Leading causes of male premature death: cardiovascular disease, road traffic accidents, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and occupational hazards. Men in Nigeria also significantly under-utilise healthcare — less likely to seek care until a condition becomes severe or life-threatening.
Leading causes of male premature death: cardiovascular disease, road traffic accidents, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and occupational hazards. Men in Nigeria also significantly under-utilise healthcare — less likely to seek care until a condition becomes severe or life-threatening.
Source: WHO · World Bank · 2023 (bar scaled to Japan ♂ 81.1 yrs = 100%)
Nigerian Women
56.4
years at birth · Despite a biological longevity advantage, Nigeria's extremely high maternal mortality rate (993 per 100,000 live births) dramatically narrows the female advantage. In Japan, women outlive men by 6.5 years; in Nigeria the gap is just 2.3 years — because maternal death kills women of reproductive age at catastrophic rates.
Source: WHO · NDHS 2023 (bar scaled to Japan ♀ 87.1 yrs = 100%)
📈
Section 3 — Historical Trend
Nigeria's Life Expectancy Over Time: 1960 to 2023
Nigeria's life expectancy has risen 19 years since independence — but the journey has not been linear. Economic crises, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and healthcare underinvestment each left visible marks on the trajectory. The pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2010.
📈 Chart 1: Nigeria Life Expectancy at Birth — 1960 to 2023 (Men, Women & All)
World Bank · WHO · 1960–2023
🔗 Journalists may cite with attribution to enavecpharmacy.com · Data: World Bank Development Indicators, WHO GHO · Life expectancy at birth in years
🌍
Section 4 — Country Comparison
How Nigeria Compares: Life Expectancy by Country (2023)
Comparing Nigeria to countries at similar and higher income levels reveals how much of the life expectancy gap is structural — the result of policy choices, health system investment, and WASH infrastructure — rather than inevitable.
🇯🇵
Japan
84.3
yrs · World's highest · 29 yrs above Nigeria
World Bank · 2023
🇬🇧
United Kingdom
81.3
yrs · Universal NHS · low infant mortality
ONS / World Bank · 2023
🇺🇸
United States
77.5
yrs · Fell post-COVID · opioid crisis impact
CDC / World Bank · 2023
🇧🇷
Brazil
75.9
yrs · Strong public health investment
World Bank · 2023
🇮🇳
India
70.8
yrs · Similar income · 15 yrs above Nigeria
World Bank · 2023
🇿🇦
South Africa
64.9
yrs · HIV burden; recovering with ARVs
World Bank · 2023
🇬🇭
Ghana
64.1
yrs · Same region · 9 years longer than Nigeria
World Bank · 2023
🇳🇬
Nigeria
55.2
yrs · Bottom 20 globally · 18 yrs below global avg
World Bank · 2023
🌍 Chart 2: Life Expectancy Country Comparison — Years at Birth (2023)
World Bank · 2024
🔗 Journalists may cite with attribution to enavecpharmacy.com · Nigeria bar in rust · Global average dashed · Data: World Bank 2023
🔍
Section 5 — Root Causes
Why Is Nigeria's Life Expectancy So Low? Six Root Causes
Nigeria's low life expectancy is not destiny — it is the result of specific, addressable failures in health systems, infrastructure, and policy. Here are the six dominant drivers, each backed by current data.
High Child & Infant Mortality
With an infant mortality rate of 54.7 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality of 107.2 per 1,000, child deaths mechanically drag down Nigeria's life expectancy average. Each infant death counts as much as an adult dying at 55 when calculating population averages. Reducing child mortality is the fastest route to raising national life expectancy.
Highest Impact
Maternal Mortality Crisis
Nigeria's maternal mortality ratio of 993 per 100,000 live births (NDHS 2023) is among the world's highest and directly suppresses female longevity. Nigeria accounts for approximately 14% of all global maternal deaths — despite being 2.7% of the world's population. Almost all are preventable with skilled attendants and emergency obstetric care.
Critical
Infectious Disease Burden
Nigeria carries a massive burden of life-shortening infectious diseases: the world's largest malaria burden (~27% of global cases), HIV prevalence of 1.4% (3.1 million living with HIV), high tuberculosis rates (291 per 100,000), plus typhoid, meningitis, and Lassa fever. Each cuts lives short — mostly among people under 50.
High Impact
Healthcare Access Deficit
Nigeria has approximately 1 doctor per 5,000 people in many states — five times worse than the WHO minimum of 1 per 1,000. Only 43% of births are attended by skilled personnel. Fewer than 50% of Nigerians live within 5km of a functional health facility. Late diagnosis and untreated chronic conditions shorten lives across all age groups.
Structural
WASH Deficits
Only 29% of Nigerians have access to safely managed drinking water (WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2023). Open defecation remains practised by approximately 46 million Nigerians. Contaminated water drives diarrhoeal disease, typhoid, cholera, and intestinal parasites — all of which shorten lives particularly among the young and elderly.
Preventable
Rising Non-Communicable Diseases
As Nigeria undergoes epidemiological transition, NCDs are emerging as a major adult mortality driver. Hypertension affects an estimated 38% of Nigerian adults (NHANES Nigeria, 2022) — the majority undiagnosed and untreated. Diabetes prevalence is rising rapidly. NCD deaths now account for ~29% of all Nigerian deaths — WHO 2023.
Growing Risk
🏥 Health Expenditure as % of GDP — Nigeria vs Comparators
The correlation between health spending and life expectancy is one of the strongest relationships in global development data. Nigeria spends $27 per capita on health; the UK spends $3,400.
🇺🇸 United States
17.0%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
11.1%
🌍 Global Average
8.0%
🇿🇦 South Africa
6.9%
🇬🇭 Ghana
5.1%
🇳🇬 Nigeria
Source: World Bank Health Expenditure Data (% of GDP) · 2022
3.8%
📋
Section 6 — Reference Data
Quick Reference Data Table — Nigeria Life Expectancy 2025
📋 Nigeria Life Expectancy Statistics — 12 Verified Data Points
Verified · Sourced · Dated
| Statistic | Figure | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria life expectancy at birth (all) | 55.2 years | World Bank / WHO | 2023 |
| Male life expectancy (Nigeria) | 54.1 years | WHO GHO | 2023 |
| Female life expectancy (Nigeria) | 56.4 years | WHO GHO | 2023 |
| Nigeria life expectancy in 1960 | ~36 years | World Bank Historical | 1960 |
| Gain in life expectancy since 1960 | +19 years | World Bank | 2024 |
| Gap below global average (73.3 yrs) | −18.1 years | WHO GHO | 2023 |
| Nigeria vs Japan gap | −29.1 years | World Bank | 2023 |
| Nigeria vs Ghana gap (same region) | −8.9 years | World Bank | 2023 |
| Maternal mortality ratio (Nigeria) | 993 per 100,000 | NDHS 2023 / WHO | 2023 |
| Infant mortality rate (Nigeria) | 54.7 per 1,000 | World Bank / UNICEF | 2023 |
| Health expenditure as % of GDP | 3.8% | World Bank Health Data | 2022 |
| Healthy life expectancy (HALE) Nigeria | 48.7 years | WHO GHO | 2022 |
📥 For CSV data download contact [email protected]
🥧 Chart 3: Years of Life Lost in Nigeria — By Leading Cause
IHME GBD 2022 · WHO Nigeria
🔗 Journalists may cite with attribution to enavecpharmacy.com · YLL = Years of Life Lost before expected age · IHME GBD 2022 · WHO Nigeria
💡
Section 7 — Key Takeaways
What the Data Tells Us
-
1Nigeria's 55.2-year average is primarily a child mortality story, not an adult health story. If Nigeria's infant and child mortality rates matched Ghana's, its life expectancy average would rise by approximately 6–8 years immediately — without any change in how long surviving adults live. Most of Nigeria's longevity gap is paid for by children who never reach adulthood. Source: IHME GBD · World Bank · 2023.
-
2Maternal mortality is suppressing female longevity advantage. In almost every country, women outlive men by 5–7 years. In Nigeria the gap is just 2.3 years — because maternal mortality (993 per 100,000 live births) kills women of reproductive age at catastrophic rates. Nigeria accounts for approximately 14% of all global maternal deaths despite being 2.7% of the world's population. Source: WHO · NDHS 2023.
-
3Ghana's 9-year advantage over Nigeria is a policy outcome, not a geographic inevitability. Ghana and Nigeria share borders, climate, culture, and comparable income levels — yet Ghanaians live 8.9 years longer on average. Ghana achieved this through stronger primary healthcare investment, higher vaccination coverage (DTP3: 98% vs Nigeria's 57%), near-universal skilled birth attendance (87% vs 43%), and consistent public health delivery. Source: World Bank · WHO · Ghana DHS 2022.
-
4Healthy life expectancy (HALE) reveals an even starker reality. Nigeria's HALE is only 48.7 years — meaning the average Nigerian spends approximately 6.5 of their 55.2 years living in poor health or disability. By contrast, Japanese citizens have a HALE of 74.8 years — 26 more healthy years. Nigeria's challenge is not just living longer, but living in health. Source: WHO GHO · 2022.
-
5Non-communicable diseases are Nigeria's emerging life expectancy crisis. As infectious disease mortality slowly declines, NCDs — hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer — are growing as drivers of premature adult death. An estimated 38% of Nigerian adults have hypertension; the majority are undiagnosed and untreated. Without screening, early diagnosis, and long-term medication access, NCDs will become the dominant driver of life expectancy suppression in the next decade. Source: NHANES Nigeria · WHO NCD Profile · 2023.
❓
Section 8 — Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Nigeria's life expectancy at birth is approximately 55.2 years as of 2023 — the most recently completed global data year (World Bank / WHO, 2024 reporting). For 2025, updated WHO estimates are pending; based on the observed trend of ~0.3–0.5 years of gain per year, the 2025 figure is likely in the range of 55.5–56.0 years. Men: 54.1 years. Women: 56.4 years. Source: World Bank · WHO GHO · 2024.
Nigeria's low life expectancy is driven by six compounding factors: (1) Very high infant and child mortality (54.7 and 107.2 per 1,000 respectively) pulling down national averages. (2) Extremely high maternal mortality (993 per 100,000 live births). (3) Heavy infectious disease burden — malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, typhoid. (4) Limited healthcare access — only 43% of births attended by skilled personnel. (5) WASH deficits — only 29% safe water access. (6) Rising undetected NCDs. Source: WHO · World Bank · NDHS 2023.
Nigerian men have a life expectancy of 54.1 years and women 56.4 years — a gap of 2.3 years in favour of women (WHO, 2023). This female advantage is smaller than in most countries because Nigeria's extremely high maternal mortality rate (993 per 100,000 live births) kills large numbers of women during their reproductive years. In high-income countries the female longevity advantage is typically 5–7 years. Source: WHO GHO · 2023.
Nigeria's life expectancy has risen significantly since independence: from approximately 36 years in 1960 to 55.2 years in 2023 — a gain of 19 years over 63 years. Key milestones: ~44 years (1980), ~46 years (2000 — slowed by HIV/AIDS epidemic), ~50 years (2010 — accelerated by malaria control and child survival programmes), 55.2 years (2023). Progress has been real but slower than peer nations. At the current pace, Nigeria would reach the global average of 73 years around 2100. Source: World Bank Time Series · 2024.
Nigeria does not publish official state-level life expectancy figures, but IHME sub-national estimates and NDHS 2023 health indicators allow reasonable approximations. Highest effective life expectancy: Lagos (~60–62 yrs), Ogun, Osun, Anambra — driven by higher incomes, better healthcare access, and lower infant and maternal mortality. Lowest effective life expectancy: Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe (~47–51 yrs) — where infant mortality exceeds 80 per 1,000, skilled birth attendance falls below 20%, and conflict disrupts healthcare. Source: IHME sub-national GBD · NDHS 2023.
Nigeria's Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE) — years expected to be lived in full health — is 48.7 years (WHO, 2022). This means the average Nigerian not only lives to 55.2 years, but spends approximately 6.5 of those years in poor health, disability, or illness. Japan's HALE is 74.8 years — a gap of 26 healthy years. HALE is arguably more important for quality-of-life policy than raw life expectancy. Source: WHO Global Health Observatory · 2022.
Nigeria (55.2 yrs) trails both Ghana (64.1 yrs) and South Africa (64.9 yrs) by approximately 9–10 years. Ghana's advantage over Nigeria is particularly significant because the two countries share borders, climate, culture, and comparable per-capita incomes — making Ghana a direct policy benchmark. Ghana has achieved far higher skilled birth attendance (87%), vaccination coverage (DTP3: 98%), and WASH infrastructure. South Africa's higher life expectancy reflects a stronger health system, though it has been suppressed by HIV/AIDS — now recovering with widespread antiretroviral therapy. Source: World Bank · 2023.
Evidence-based interventions with the highest life expectancy impact: (1) Reducing infant and child mortality — closing the vaccination gap, expanding skilled birth attendance, and managing neonatal conditions could add 6–8 years to the national average. (2) Reducing maternal mortality — emergency obstetric care, blood banking, skilled attendants. (3) Malaria elimination — universal ITN coverage, ACT availability, new vaccine rollout (R21). (4) Hypertension and diabetes screening and treatment — preventing NCD mortality in adults. (5) WASH investment — clean water reduces diarrhoeal, typhoid, and cholera deaths dramatically. Source: WHO · Lancet Nigeria Commission 2022.
🔗
🔗 How to Cite This Page
APA Format
Enavec Pharmacy. (2025, April). What is the life expectancy in Nigeria? [2025 statistics]. Enavec Pharmacy Stats & Data. https://enavecpharmacy.com/what-is-the-life-expectancy-in-nigeria-2025-statistics/
MLA Format
Enavec Pharmacy. "What Is the Life Expectancy in Nigeria? [2025 Statistics]." Enavec Pharmacy, April 2025, https://enavecpharmacy.com/what-is-the-life-expectancy-in-nigeria-2025-statistics/
Plain Text
Enavec Pharmacy (April 2025). Nigeria Life Expectancy Statistics 2025. Retrieved from https://enavecpharmacy.com/what-is-the-life-expectancy-in-nigeria-2025-statistics/
For permission to reproduce charts, contact [email protected]
📚 Primary Sources
Every statistic carries a named source and specific year. No figures are estimated or fabricated without attribution.
1
World Bank Development Indicators — Life expectancy at birth, Nigeria · data.worldbank.org · 2024 reporting cycle (2023 data)
2
WHO Global Health Observatory (GHO) — Life expectancy by country and sex · who.int/data/gho · 2024
3
IHME Global Burden of Disease Study 2022 — Years of life lost, HALE, cause-of-death data for Nigeria. ghdx.healthdata.org
4
Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2023 — Maternal mortality, skilled birth attendance, health access by state. dhsprogram.com
5
UNDP Human Development Report 2024 — Nigeria HDI, life expectancy component, regional rankings. hdr.undp.org
6
WHO GHO — Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE) 2022 · who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/hale
7
World Bank Health Expenditure Data (% of GDP) 2022 · data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
8
WHO/UNICEF JMP Water & Sanitation 2023 — Safe water access Nigeria. washdata.org
9
WHO Maternal Mortality Report 2023 — Nigeria maternal mortality ratio, global share. who.int
10
UNICEF State of the World's Children 2023 — Infant and under-5 mortality, Nigeria. unicef.org
11
The Lancet Nigeria Commission Report (2022) — Pathways to improve health outcomes in Nigeria, life expectancy modelling. thelancet.com
12
WHO NCD Country Profiles — Nigeria (2023) — Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease burden. who.int/publications/m/item/ncd-country-profiles
🌿 Questions about living longer and healthier in Nigeria?
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