Fertility rate: births per woman in Nigeria
Nigeria: Fertility rate: births per woman was 4.48 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.48 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
16th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.92 live births per woman
in 1978
All-time low
4.48 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 4.48 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Nigeria peaked at 6.92 live births per woman in 1978 and was at its lowest, 4.48 live births per woman, in 2023.
Nigeria ranks 16th 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.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.42 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.42 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1952 | 6.39 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1953 | 6.4 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1954 | 6.4 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 6.4 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 6.41 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.4 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 6.39 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 6.38 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 6.36 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1961 | 6.35 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 6.36 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 6.35 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 6.36 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 6.37 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 6.39 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 6.4 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 6.42 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 6.44 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 6.47 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 6.53 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 6.58 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 6.63 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 6.7 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 6.77 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 6.81 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 6.86 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 6.92 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 6.89 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 6.85 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 6.82 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 6.8 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 6.78 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 6.7 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.62 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 6.56 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 6.5 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 6.5 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 6.49 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 6.46 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 6.43 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 6.39 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 6.35 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 6.32 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.27 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 6.22 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 6.14 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 6.07 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 6.08 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 6.12 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 6.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 6.12 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 6.1 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 6.09 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 6.06 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 6.05 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 6.03 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 6.02 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.99 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 5.95 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 5.89 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 5.8 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 5.69 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 5.62 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 5.5 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 5.34 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 5.18 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 5.02 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 4.86 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 4.7 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 4.64 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 4.55 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 4.48 live births per woman | -1.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 4.48 live births per woman is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 live births per woman, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 4.48 live births per woman is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.4 live births per woman | 6.38 live births per woman | 6.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.38 live births per woman | 6.35 live births per woman | 6.44 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.72 live births per woman | 6.47 live births per woman | 6.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.66 live births per woman | 6.49 live births per woman | 6.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.27 live births per woman | 6.07 live births per woman | 6.46 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.07 live births per woman | 5.99 live births per woman | 6.13 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.49 live births per woman | 4.86 live births per woman | 5.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.59 live births per woman | 4.48 live births per woman | 4.7 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 13 Tanzania 4.61 live births per woman compare
- 14 Yemen 4.59 live births per woman compare
- 15 Benin 4.56 live births per woman compare
- 17 Sudan 4.32 live births per woman compare
- 18 Cameroon 4.32 live births per woman compare
- 19 Cote d'Ivoire 4.28 live births per woman compare
- 19 Uganda 4.28 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Nigeria?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Nigeria was 4.48 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 6.92 live births per woman in 1978.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.48 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Nigeria ranks 16th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. 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
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.