Real reason more under-5 die in Nigeria than in poorer countries – World Bank

A new World Bank report reveals that Nigeria is facing a severe early childhood crisis, recording 110 deaths per 1,000 live births and a 40% stunting rate, outcomes that are significantly worse than those in countries with similar income levels.

Nigeria is facing a profound early childhood development crisis, with the highest under-five mortality rate in the world despite its status as a lower-middle-income economy. According to the April 2026 Nigeria Development Update titled “Nigeria’s Tomorrow Must Start Today: The Case for Early Childhood Development,” the country records approximately 110 deaths for every 1,000 live births. This figure, corroborated by the National Health Demographic Survey and slightly surpassed by UN estimates of 115 deaths, places Nigeria in a grim category shared only by a handful of low-income nations with significantly less wealth. The report highlights that while Nigeria’s economy grew by 4.0% in 2025, these macroeconomic gains have yet to translate into improved survival or nutrition for the nation’s youngest population.

The report underscores a stark disparity between Nigeria and its global peers. While other lower-middle-income countries like Bangladesh have managed to reduce child mortality to between 28 and 31 deaths per 1,000 live births, Nigeria remains an outlier. This trend extends to nutrition, where Nigeria is the only country in its income bracket to suffer from a child stunting rate of 40%. The World Bank noted that out of the seven countries globally with similar stunting levels, six are classified as low-income. “Yet outcomes in Nigeria remain weak and unequal: about 110 out of every 1,000 children die before age five, 40% are stunted, and more than half are not developmentally on track before entering school,” the report stated, signaling a systemic failure in human capital development.

To address what it calls a “crisis,” the World Bank is urging the Nigerian government to adopt an integrated approach that combines health, nutrition, and early learning into a “coherent and continuous package of support.” The report emphasizes that the first 2,000 days of a child’s life are critical for long-term productivity and economic mobility. However, deep-seated inequalities persist, with stunting rates in northern Nigeria often exceeding 60%, compared to under 15% in parts of the south. Improving these outcomes will require better targeting of services, particularly for poor households where stunting is three times more prevalent than among the wealthy. As Nigeria navigates ongoing structural reforms, the bank warns that long-term prosperity will remain out of reach without immediate, child-centered investment.

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