Number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of people treated for river blindness was 24.29 million People in 2024. ▲ Rising
Number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria, 2005–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in People.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 24.29 million People for number of people treated for river blindness in 2024.
That represents a change of down 30.5% on the previous year and down 45.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria peaked at 44.42 million People in 2014 and was at its lowest, 12.04 million People, in 2021.
Nigeria ranks 2nd of 33 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 20.75 million People | — |
| 2006 | 21.72 million People | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 23.46 million People | +8.0% |
| 2008 | 23.60 million People | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 26.38 million People | +11.8% |
| 2010 | 29.12 million People | +10.4% |
| 2011 | 30.44 million People | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 29.03 million People | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 28.66 million People | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 44.42 million People | +55.0% |
| 2015 | 35.27 million People | -20.6% |
| 2016 | 35.36 million People | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 40.01 million People | +13.2% |
| 2018 | 44.06 million People | +10.1% |
| 2019 | 40.70 million People | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 38.57 million People | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 12.04 million People | -68.8% |
| 2022 | 25.03 million People | +107.8% |
| 2023 | 34.93 million People | +39.6% |
| 2024 | 24.29 million People | -30.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 24.29 million People is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.58 million People, 5.3× the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 24.29 million People is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.06 million People, 7.9× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +107.8% | 12.04 million People | 25.03 million People |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.18 million People | 20.75 million People | 26.38 million People | 5 |
| 2010s | 35.71 million People | 28.66 million People | 44.42 million People | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.97 million People | 12.04 million People | 38.57 million People | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 44.32 million People compare
- 3 Ethiopia 20.33 million People compare
- 4 Cote d'Ivoire 17.96 million People compare
- 5 Cameroon 8.89 million People 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 number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria?
- Number of people treated for river blindness in Nigeria was 24.29 million People in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people treated for river blindness recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 44.42 million People in 2014.
- What is the lowest number of people treated for river blindness recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.04 million People in 2021.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of people treated for river blindness?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 33 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people treated for river blindness rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people treated for river blindness. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Reported number of people treated with ivermectin for river blindness.