Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Nigeria

One in every 17 babies in the world is born here: about 7,717,990 a year, 15 a minute.

Population: 237,527,782
Births a year: 7,717,990
Life expectancy: 54.6
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 115.6

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
54.9
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
54.3
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
69.8
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
115.6
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
993
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
1.2
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
3
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
3.8
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
20.7
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
15.8
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.38
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
33
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
64
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
47
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
35.1
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$8,145
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
34
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
41.8
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
3.1
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
34
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
81
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
72
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
64
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
63
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
82
World: 91
Internet users (%)
41
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.79
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
1.37
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.2
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: 37.3 → 2026: 54.6 → 2050: 58.6

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 361 → 2026: 111 → 2050: 81

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.4 → 2026: 4.2 → 2050: 2.7

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 14 → 2026: 65 → 2050: 83

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Nigeria comes up about once in every 17 lives.

Compare Nigeria with

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.