Birth rate in Nigeria
Nigeria: Birth rate was 32.95 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 32.95 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Nigeria peaked at 49.25 births per 1,000 people in 1978 and was at its lowest, 32.95 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 21st of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.08 births per 1,000 people | 45.78 births per 1,000 people | 46.37 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 46.88 births per 1,000 people | 46.46 births per 1,000 people | 47.26 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.51 births per 1,000 people | 47.38 births per 1,000 people | 49.25 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.33 births per 1,000 people | 44.72 births per 1,000 people | 48.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.92 births per 1,000 people | 43.22 births per 1,000 people | 44.51 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.36 births per 1,000 people | 42.5 births per 1,000 people | 43.93 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.92 births per 1,000 people | 34.69 births per 1,000 people | 42.14 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.36 births per 1,000 people | 32.95 births per 1,000 people | 33.73 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More population data for Nigeria
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.0% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 32.05 million people (2100)
- Population density 523.46 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.0% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 4.38 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 96,387 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 4.38 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 4.38 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 2.1% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 4.48 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Nigeria?
- Birth rate in Nigeria was 32.95 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 49.25 births per 1,000 people in 1978.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.95 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for birth rate?
- Nigeria ranks 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.