Statizoid

Average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria

Nigeria: Average age of mothers at childbirth was 29.23 years in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
29.23 years
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
111th
of 236 countries
All-time high
29.87 years
in 1950
All-time low
28.8 years
in 1975
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria, 1950–2023

0102030195019862023

Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2023, average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria stood at 29.23 years.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria peaked at 29.87 years in 1950 and was at its lowest, 28.8 years, in 1975.

That places Nigeria 111th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

Average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria, year by year

Year years Change
1950 29.87 years —
1951 29.86 years -0.0%
1952 29.86 years -0.0%
1953 29.85 years -0.0%
1954 29.84 years -0.0%
1955 29.82 years -0.1%
1956 29.8 years -0.1%
1957 29.72 years -0.3%
1958 29.64 years -0.3%
1959 29.56 years -0.3%
1960 29.45 years -0.4%
1961 29.34 years -0.4%
1962 29.24 years -0.4%
1963 29.18 years -0.2%
1964 29.15 years -0.1%
1965 29.12 years -0.1%
1966 29.11 years -0.0%
1967 29.1 years -0.0%
1968 29.09 years -0.0%
1969 29.04 years -0.1%
1970 29.02 years -0.1%
1971 29.01 years -0.1%
1972 28.98 years -0.1%
1973 28.95 years -0.1%
1974 28.84 years -0.4%
1975 28.8 years -0.1%
1976 28.83 years +0.1%
1977 28.86 years +0.1%
1978 28.92 years +0.2%
1979 28.92 years -0.0%
1980 28.94 years +0.1%
1981 29.06 years +0.4%
1982 29.08 years +0.1%
1983 29 years -0.3%
1984 29.07 years +0.3%
1985 29.06 years -0.0%
1986 29.16 years +0.3%
1987 29.18 years +0.1%
1988 29.25 years +0.2%
1989 29.21 years -0.1%
1990 29.3 years +0.3%
1991 29.39 years +0.3%
1992 29.39 years +0.0%
1993 29.42 years +0.1%
1994 29.46 years +0.1%
1995 29.35 years -0.4%
1996 29.38 years +0.1%
1997 29.38 years +0.0%
1998 29.39 years +0.1%
1999 29.44 years +0.2%
2000 29.46 years +0.0%
2001 29.51 years +0.2%
2002 29.57 years +0.2%
2003 29.59 years +0.1%
2004 29.69 years +0.3%
2005 29.63 years -0.2%
2006 29.68 years +0.2%
2007 29.7 years +0.1%
2008 29.69 years -0.0%
2009 29.67 years -0.1%
2010 29.61 years -0.2%
2011 29.51 years -0.4%
2012 29.45 years -0.2%
2013 29.36 years -0.3%
2014 29.35 years -0.0%
2015 29.39 years +0.2%
2016 29.39 years -0.0%
2017 29.4 years +0.0%
2018 29.4 years -0.0%
2019 29.39 years -0.0%
2020 29.36 years -0.1%
2021 29.32 years -0.2%
2022 29.28 years -0.1%
2023 29.23 years -0.2%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 29.23 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 28.56 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 29.23 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 29.78 years 29.56 years 29.87 years 10
1960s 29.18 years 29.04 years 29.45 years 10
1970s 28.91 years 28.8 years 29.02 years 10
1980s 29.1 years 28.94 years 29.25 years 10
1990s 29.39 years 29.3 years 29.46 years 10
2000s 29.62 years 29.46 years 29.7 years 10
2010s 29.42 years 29.35 years 29.61 years 10
2020s 29.3 years 29.23 years 29.36 years 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 108 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 29.24 years compare
  2. 109 Lebanon 29.24 years compare
  3. 110 Chad 29.24 years compare
  4. 112 Turkey 29.22 years compare
  5. 113 French Polynesia 29.2 years compare
  6. 114 Tuvalu 29.19 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria?
Average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria was 29.23 years in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 29.87 years in 1950.
What is the lowest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 28.8 years in 1975.
How does Nigeria rank for average age of mothers at childbirth?
Nigeria ranks 111th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is average age of mothers at childbirth rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Average age of mothers at childbirth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Average age of mothers at childbirth in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 October 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/period-average-age-of-mothers/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Average age of mothers at childbirth
Unit
years
Source
Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,683 data points, 1891–2023
Last refreshed

Mean age of mothers at the birth of their children if women were subject throughout their lives to the age-specific fertility rates observed in a given year.