Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Niger

One in every 116 babies in the world is born here: about 1,156,357 a year, 2.2 a minute.

Population: 27,917,831
Births a year: 1,156,357
Life expectancy: 61.5
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 110.7

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
62.4
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
60.5
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
65.6
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
110.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
350
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.2
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
7
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
0.13
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
25.5
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
4.4
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
5.94
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
76
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
65
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
20
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
4
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
48.5
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$1,861
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
33
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
60.5
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
0.39
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
73
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
73
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
51
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
18
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
21
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
53
World: 91
Internet users (%)
16
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.94
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
2.95
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.31
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 36.2 → 2026: 61.7 → 2050: 66.6

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 321 → 2026: 105 → 2050: 58

World

Children per woman

1960: 7.5 → 2026: 5.6 → 2050: 3.2

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 6 → 2026: 19 → 2050: 34

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Niger comes up about once in every 116 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.