Why Nigerians die decades earlier than global peers
In 2024, Chioma Odu, a woman in her mid-50s from Imo State, woke up with a sharp pain in her joints. Concerned, she visited a nearby clinic where she was diagnosed with arthritis. But that diagnosis was later proven to be wrong.
While recounting her ordeal, she told BusinessDay how that the singular event took a toll on her, leaving her emotionally traumatised.
For Faustina Onyenwe, January 2025 nearly ended in tragedy. Her three-year-old daughter had been vomiting uncontrollably, and in desperation, she rushed her to the nearest primary healthcare centre (PHC) in Bwari, Abuja.
By the time they arrived, the child had been weak and barely responsive. The only nurse on duty assessed the child but delayed treatment for nearly 20 minutes.
The facility didn’t have intravenous fluid, which was urgently needed.
“The health centre did not have all they needed to administer care and I was asked to wait. I wanted to rush her to a general hospital but it was a bit far. I was afraid as I watched my child get weaker and weaker,” she said.
Despite years of health sector reforms, Nigerians die earlier than global peers.
Read also: Weak systems trap Nigerians life expectancy behind peers despite health reforms
Life expectancy in Nigeria remains alarmingly low, trailing behind peers and raising concerns among experts who point to deep-rooted poverty, a broken emergency care system, and weak universal health coverage as key drivers of the crisis.
Recent reports by the United Nations (2025) show that Nigeria’s average life expectancy as of 2024 was 54.6 years—far below the global average of 73.7 years, Africa’s average of 64.2 years, and the lowest worldwide. By comparison, Monaco tops the chart at 86.5 years, while other African countries such as Tunisia (76.5) and Algeria (76.2) outperform Nigeria by more than 21 years.
The wide gap between Monaco’s life expectancy and Nigeria’s position at the bottom highlights a deepening crisis. In Nigeria, rising poverty has fuelled widespread malnutrition, driving up death rates among children and young adults, according to reports.
Major drivers
Adeniji Adeoluwa, chief medical director at Mecure Cancer Center, said a number of issues lower a nation’s life expectancy.
“Poverty, insecurity, environmental pollution, poor emergency healthcare infrastructure and low universal health coverage deeply affect Nigeria’s life expectancy,” he stated.
“Low insurance coverage makes most poor citizens resort to local remedies for treatments, as high out-of-pocket payments for medical bills continue to limit their chances of survival, making it difficult to access quality medical care,” he added.
“Whenever there is an accident or a traffic incident, for instance, emergency response becomes exceedingly difficult due to the absence of a dedicated route for ambulances and a lack of proper infrastructure and facilities to manage urgent cases effectively,” he explained.
Paul Abba, director of Medical Laboratory Services at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, also highlighted critical factors contributing to Nigeria’s low life expectancy, pointing to gaps in healthcare access, food insecurity, and widespread misuse of antimicrobials.
“Many Nigerians lack access to quality healthcare and so resort to self-medication, overuse and misuse of drugs, leading to preventable deaths,” Abba stated. He emphasised that the low coverage of universal health services continues to drive this troubling trend.
He also drew attention to the broader systemic issues undermining public health, noting that “food insecurity and national security are factors that must be addressed.”
Universal health coverage means that all persons have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship according to the World Health Organisation(WHO)
“Nigeria lags far behind its peers in terms of universal health coverage (UHC), which further reduces the quality of life,” said Nkata Chuku, founding partner at Health Systems Consult Limited.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines life expectancy as the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if current mortality rates remain constant. In Nigeria’s case, those rates continue to reflect systemic weaknesses.
Read also: High mother, child death rates drive Nigeria’s depressing life expectancy statistics
Lessons for Nigeria
Once grappling with low life expectancy, African sister nations such as Algeria and Tunisia have made remarkable strides, offering valuable lessons for Nigeria.
For instance, Algeria’s life expectancy stood at a mere 40.8 years in 1960. By 2023, it had risen dramatically to 76.3 years. Tunisia followed a similar trajectory, moving from 44 years in 1960 to 76.5 years in 2023. These are not accidental gains but reflect decades of deliberate investment and reform.
At the heart of this transformation were three core pillars. Robust investments in health infrastructure and social services, large-scale disease control and immunisation campaigns as well as significant improvements in literacy and education
The results have been profound. According to UNICEF, Algeria’s infant mortality rate has plummeted—from 147 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1965 to just 24 per 1,000 in 2024. On the other hand, Nigeria still records 60 infant deaths per 1,000 live births—a figure that signals persistent systemic failures.
Tunisia has also prioritised healthcare financing, doubling its health spending to approximately seven percent of the national budget. Nigeria, while making modest progress, allocates just 5.1 percent—a figure way below global standards of 15 percent and equally inadequate for its massive and growing population
The contrast deepens when considering disease elimination. Algeria has successfully eradicated polio, neonatal tetanus, and malaria through sustained vaccination drives and aggressive public health interventions. Meanwhile, Nigeria continues to carry the heaviest malaria burden globally, accounting for 27 percent of all global cases and over 200,000 malaria-related deaths in 2021. This burden, coupled with high rates of malnutrition, drives persistently high infant and maternal mortality.
Where do we go from here?
The experiences of countries such as Algeria and Tunisia show that transforming national health outcomes is not only possible but achievable through consistent investments, strong political will, and a deliberate focus on equity in healthcare delivery. These lessons hold crucial relevance for Nigeria as it grapples with poor life expectancy and fragile health infrastructure.
“If we must improve on our life expectancy as a country, we must start with policies,” said Adeoluwa, emphasising that reforms must go beyond surface-level interventions. “Nigeria’s reforms must be centered on policies that ameliorate poverty, ensure inclusive healthcare access, reduce environmental pollution, and promote public-private partnerships, as the government cannot do it alone,” he added.
Central to this transformation is the need for a robust health insurance scheme that eliminates economic barriers to care. “An inclusive healthcare access through a robust insurance scheme will enable both the poor and the rich access to medical care without social or economic disparity,” Adeoluwa explained.
