WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇳🇬

Maternal & Child Mortality
in Nigeria

West Africa · #10 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

74.2 per 1,000 live births · Nigeria

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

74.2

per 1,000 · 2.7× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

1,047

per 100,000 · 5.3× world avg

West Africa

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Nigeria
During Childbirth

1,047 maternal deaths per 100,000 — Nigeria accounts for approximately 20% of all global maternal deaths despite having 3% of the world's population.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

74.2deaths per 1,000 live births

2.7× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

1,047deaths per 100,000 live births

5.3× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Nigeria

Nigeria accounts for ~800,000 child deaths per year — nearly 1 in 6 of all global child deaths. North-west and north-east regions have mortality rates 2–3× the national average. Boko Haram insurgency has destroyed health facilities serving millions.

Nigeria has made slower progress than comparable sub-Saharan African countries. Federal structure creates extreme regional variation.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Neonatal causes30%

Malaria28%

Pneumonia14%

Diarrhoea12%

Other16%

* Neonatal deaths (first 28 days) represent the largest share of under-5 mortality.

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~79%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~41%

doctor, midwife or trained nurse

⚠️

Neonatal deaths (first 28 days)48%

of all under-5 deaths occur at birth

🩸

Most preventable with skilled care~75%

of child and maternal deaths

🤱

Maternal Mortality During Birth in Nigeria

Nigeria is oil-rich but spends only ~4% of GDP on health vs the AU target of 15%. The north-east Boko Haram crisis has displaced millions. Unsafe abortion — illegal in most circumstances — is a significant contributor.

Slow and uneven. Absolute numbers of maternal deaths may be increasing as population grows faster than mortality falls.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Haemorrhage32%

Eclampsia / hypertension21%

Sepsis16%

Obstructed labour13%

Unsafe abortion11%

Other7%

* Haemorrhage and eclampsia together cause over 50% of deaths — both are treatable with basic skilled care.

Why Mothers Die at Birth Here

🩺

Emergency obstetric care availableLimited

few facilities can manage haemorrhage

🩸

Blood transfusion accessCritical gap

haemorrhage kills within 2 hours

💊

Magnesium sulphate (eclampsia)Often absent

costs $1 — saves lives instantly

✅

If skilled care were universal~75% fewer deaths

WHO estimate for this mortality level

⚠️

Why Is This Still Happening?

Structural Barriers to Safe Birth in Nigeria

Accounts for ~20% of all global maternal deaths

Boko Haram insurgency destroying health facilities in the north-east

Chronic health underfunding (4% of GDP)

Extreme regional inequality in health access

High adolescent pregnancy rate (23%)

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Nigeria alone could derail global SDG 3 progress. Targeted investment in the north-east and north-west is critical.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Nigeria?

📍 The Situation

Nigeria accounts for more maternal deaths in absolute numbers than any other country on Earth — approximately 82,000 per year. Despite being Africa's largest economy, healthcare access is profoundly inequitable. Urban Nigerians have access to sophisticated obstetric care; rural Nigerians in Kebbi, Sokoto, or Zamfara state face conditions comparable to the most underserved countries on this list.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

Nigeria's healthcare system already includes ultrasound in tertiary and secondary hospitals, but coverage collapses entirely at primary health care level. Extending POCUS capability to Nigeria's 30,000+ primary health centres — each typically staffed by nurses and community health officers — would create an antenatal screening infrastructure that reaches the women who currently have none.

🎓 The Training Gap

Nigeria has a large and growing population of nurses and community health officers who are motivated, organized, and capable of learning POCUS skills rapidly. GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials course — completable online and validated through supervised scanning — is highly applicable to this workforce. Nigeria also has the institutional capacity to support supervision and quality assurance at scale.

What a trained provider can detect with a portable ultrasound device

🩸Placenta previa

🔄Malpresentation

👥Twin pregnancy

📉Fetal growth restriction

⚡Pre-eclampsia markers

🫁Childhood pneumonia

💉Internal bleeding

🧠Hydrocephalus

🧮

Interactive Model

POCUS Impact Calculator — Nigeria

Model based on: 600 scans/provider/year · 15% high-risk detection rate · 47% mortality reduction for detected cases (Swanson et al. 2014 · WHO POCUS in LMICs review)

Number of POCUS-trained providers deployed in Nigeria50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

71

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

60

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

131deaths prevented

2.6

lives per provider

$189

est. cost per life saved

$24,750

total training investment

* This calculator uses a conservative evidence-based model. Actual impact varies by deployment context, provider experience, and health system capacity. Training cost based on GUSI OB POCUS Essentials (~$495/provider). Mortality reduction from peer-reviewed POCUS implementation studies in low-resource settings.

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Technology & Education

A Practical Plan to Bring POCUS to Nigeria

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for Nigeria

Baseline assessment — map existing facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and available midwives, nurses, and physicians who could be trained.
Provider training — enrol local champions in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials + Pediatric POCUS courses. Certify a core group to train others.
Device procurement — select appropriate portable handheld devices based on power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget (see brands below).
Protocols & referral integration — define what to scan, what findings trigger referral, and how to document scans at the point of care.
Quality assurance — regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training to maintain competency.

📡 Recommended Portable Ultrasound Devices

🦋 Butterfly iQ+

Website →

Single-probe whole-body device covering OB, cardiac, lung, and FAST exams. App-based platform with built-in AI guidance. Designed for low-resource environments — charges via USB and works with any smartphone.

🔵 Philips Lumify

Website →

App-based probe that plugs into Android phones. Multiple transducer heads available for OB and point-of-care use. Widely used in GUSI-supported training programs globally.

🟢 GE Vscan Air

Website →

Wireless, pocket-sized dual-probe handheld. Streams live images to a smartphone app. Excellent battery life — purpose-built for rapid bedside OB and FAST-style assessments.

🔷 Clarius HD3

Website →

High-resolution wireless handheld. Multiple probe configurations available. Strong image quality in a compact form factor — suitable for OB, lung, and neonatal scanning.

Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI

The training that closes the gap — built for providers in settings like Nigeria

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Courses are designed from the ground up for providers in resource-limited settings — short, practical, competency-based, and available online or in person. Every course maps directly to the conditions killing mothers and babies during childbirth.