Nigeria has been ranked as the country with the world’s lowest life expectancy, according to new United Nations data for 2025. The latest UN global health report confirms that the national average life expectancy stands at just 54.9 years, a figure that places the nation behind every other country globally.
This stark statistic is far below Africa’s continental average and represents less than three-quarters of the global benchmark, which the report sets at 73.7 years.
The gender breakdown reveals minimal difference: men in Nigeria live an average of 54.3 years, while women reach an average of 54.9 years. For comparison, neighboring states show significantly higher figures, with Chad at 55.2 years and the Central African Republic at 57.7 years.
Analysis: The Root Causes of the Crisis
Experts and public health advocates link Nigeria’s dismal ranking to a complex web of interwoven health, socio-economic, and structural challenges:
1. Persistent Health System Failure
The most direct cause is the weakness of the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. This includes:
- A high burden of infectious diseases, suggesting failures in prevention, vaccination, and treatment programs.
- Poor access to quality care, which prevents millions from receiving timely and effective medical intervention.
- Frequent health worker strikes, which paralyze the existing healthcare services and further undermine public trust and accessibility.
2. Compounding Socio-Economic and Security Factors
These fundamental health issues are magnified by broader national struggles that severely impact public well-being:
- Widespread insecurity disrupts communities, limits movement, and often cuts off populations from critical aid and medical services.
- Poverty acts as a significant barrier, making essential nutrition, sanitation, and private medical services unaffordable for millions.
- Environmental pollution further compounds the crisis by contributing to respiratory and chronic diseases.
Demand for Urgent Intervention
The UN report emphasizes that Nigeria’s record-low life expectancy is not merely a health challenge but a “warning signal for social and economic progress.”
Public health advocates are calling for urgent government and international interventions. They warn that without addressing critical shortages in medical infrastructure and tackling the underlying socio-economic issues, the Nigerian population will remain among the world’s most vulnerable. As global leaders prepare for upcoming summits, this statistic stands as a stark reminder of the desperate need for comprehensive reform.
Source: African News
