Nigeria Records Five Million Births Yearly as Death Registration Stays Below 20%

By Benson Daniel

Nigeria continues to record nearly five million births every year, yet fewer than one in five deaths are officially registered, a development that experts say is hampering national planning, healthcare delivery and the country’s ability to produce reliable population statistics.

The National Population Commission (NPC) disclosed that while significant progress has been made in birth registration across parts of the country, death registration remains critically low, creating major gaps in the nation’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system.

According to the commission, accurate records of births and deaths are essential for effective governance, public health planning and economic development. Without comprehensive death registration, authorities struggle to determine mortality patterns, identify disease outbreaks and allocate resources to communities where they are most needed.

Nigeria’s annual birth figure of about five million reflects one of the highest fertility rates globally, underscoring the need for a stronger registration system capable of capturing every life event from birth to death. However, many deaths, particularly those occurring in rural communities and outside healthcare facilities, are never reported to the appropriate authorities.

Officials explained that cultural practices, limited awareness, inadequate registration centres and logistical challenges have continued to discourage many families from registering deaths. In several communities, burial ceremonies are often concluded without any official documentation, leaving thousands of deaths absent from national records.

The commission warned that the absence of reliable mortality data affects government planning across critical sectors including healthcare, education, social protection and disaster management. It also complicates efforts to monitor progress toward national development goals and international commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Experts note that a functional civil registration system provides governments with dependable demographic data for budgeting, infrastructure development and emergency response planning. It also protects citizens by providing legal identity and documentation required for inheritance claims, insurance settlements and pension administration.

To address the challenge, the NPC said it is intensifying public awareness campaigns while expanding collaboration with state governments, healthcare institutions, traditional rulers and religious organisations to improve the reporting of births and deaths nationwide. The commission is also promoting the digitalisation of registration services to make the process faster and more accessible, especially in underserved communities.

Development partners have continued to support Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its civil registration system through investments in technology, capacity building and community engagement programmes aimed at increasing registration coverage.

Stakeholders believe that improving death registration will provide policymakers with more accurate demographic information needed to design evidence-based policies, strengthen healthcare interventions and ensure that national development plans reflect the country’s actual population dynamics.

As Nigeria’s population continues to grow, experts maintain that achieving universal registration of births and deaths remains a critical step towards building an efficient statistical system capable of supporting sustainable economic and social development.