Nigeria

Demographic and
Health Survey 2023–24
Key Indicators
 The Federal Republic of Nigeria

Nigeria

Demographic and Health Survey

2023–24
Key Indicators Report

Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

Abuja, Nigeria

National Population Commission

Abuja, Nigeria

The DHS Program

ICF
Rockville, Maryland, USA

September 2024
The 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2023–24 NDHS) was implemented under the aegis of the
Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare by the National Population Commission. The funding for the 2023–
24 NDHS was provided by the Government of Nigeria, the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and
the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). ICF provided technical assistance
through The DHS Program, a USAID-funded project providing support and technical assistance in the
implementation of population and health surveys in countries worldwide. The World Health Organization also
provided technical assistance.

Additional information about the 2023–24 NDHS may be obtained from the headquarters of the National
Population Commission, Plot 2031, Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Zone 7, Wuse, P.M.B. 0281, Abuja, Nigeria;
telephone: 234-09-523-9173; fax: 234-09-523-1024; email: info@populationgov.ng; internet:
www.population.gov.ng.

Information about The DHS Program may be obtained from ICF, 530 Gaither Road, Suite 500, Rockville, MD
20850, USA; telephone: +1-301-407-6500; fax: +1-301-407-6501; email: info@DHSprogram.com; internet:
www.DHSprogram.com.

The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of the National Population Commission, the Federal Ministry
of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria, and ICF and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the United
States Government, or other donor agencies.

Recommended citation:

Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria (FMoHSW), National Population Commission (NPC)
[Nigeria], and ICF. 2024. Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2023–24: Key Indicators Report. Abuja,
Nigeria, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NPC and ICF.
CONTENTS
TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ v
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................vii
FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................................... ix
1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1
2 SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Sample Design ..................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Questionnaires ..................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Anthropometry .................................................................................................................... 5
2.4 Training of Trainers and Pretest .......................................................................................... 6
2.5 Training of Field Staff ......................................................................................................... 6
2.6 Fieldwork............................................................................................................................. 7
2.7 Data Processing ................................................................................................................... 7
3 KEY FINDINGS.............................................................................................................................. 9
3.1 Response Rates .................................................................................................................... 9
3.2 Characteristics of Respondents ............................................................................................ 9
3.3 Fertility .............................................................................................................................. 11
3.4 Teenage Fertility ................................................................................................................ 14
3.4.1 Teenage Pregnancy .............................................................................................. 14
3.4.2 Age at First Birth ................................................................................................. 15
3.5 Fertility Preferences........................................................................................................... 16
3.6 Family Planning................................................................................................................. 17
3.6.1 Contraceptive Use ................................................................................................ 17
3.6.2 Need and Demand for Family Planning ............................................................... 21
3.7 Early Childhood Mortality................................................................................................. 23
3.8 Maternal Care .................................................................................................................... 25
3.8.1 Antenatal Care ..................................................................................................... 25
3.8.2 Tetanus Toxoid .................................................................................................... 26
3.8.3 Delivery Care ....................................................................................................... 28
3.8.4 Postnatal Care for the Mother .............................................................................. 29
3.8.5 Postnatal Care for the Newborn ........................................................................... 29
3.9 Birth Registration .............................................................................................................. 31
3.10 Vaccination Coverage........................................................................................................ 33
3.10.1 Basic Antigen Coverage ...................................................................................... 33
3.10.2 Vaccination Coverage according to National Schedule ....................................... 34
3.11 Care Seeking for and Treatment of Child Illness .............................................................. 38
3.12 Child Nutritional Status ..................................................................................................... 39
3.13 Infant and Young Child Feeding ....................................................................................... 42
3.14 Malaria............................................................................................................................... 44
3.14.1 Ownership and Use of Insecticide-treated Nets ................................................... 44
3.14.2 Malaria in Pregnancy ........................................................................................... 48
3.14.3 Case Management of Malaria in Children ........................................................... 49
3.14.4 Media Exposure to Malaria Messages ................................................................. 51
3.14.5 Knowledge of Ways to Avoid Malaria ................................................................ 56
3.15 HIV .................................................................................................................................... 61
3.15.1 Prevention Knowledge among Young People ..................................................... 61
3.15.2 Sexual Behaviour ................................................................................................. 62
3.15.3 Prior HIV Testing ................................................................................................ 68
3.16 Tuberculosis ...................................................................................................................... 71
3.16.1 Knowledge about Tuberculosis ............................................................................ 71
3.16.2 Stigma in the Community .................................................................................... 76
3.17 Hypertension...................................................................................................................... 79
3.18 Diabetes ............................................................................................................................. 82
3.19 Women’s Participation in Decision Making regarding Sexual and
Reproductive Health .......................................................................................................... 86

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 88

iii
TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1 Results of the household and individual interviews ............................................................ 9

Table 2 Background characteristics of respondents ....................................................................... 10
Table 3 Current fertility .................................................................................................................. 12
Table 4 Total fertility by zone and state ......................................................................................... 13
Table 5 Teenage pregnancy ............................................................................................................ 14
Table 6 Age at first birth................................................................................................................. 16
Table 7 Fertility preferences by number of living children ............................................................ 16
Table 8 Current use of contraception according to background characteristics ............................. 18
Table 9 Need and demand for family planning among currently married women and sexually
active unmarried women ................................................................................................... 22
Table 10 Early childhood mortality rates ......................................................................................... 24
Table 11 Ten-year early childhood mortality rates according to background characteristics .......... 24
Table 12 Maternal care indicators .................................................................................................... 27
Table 13 Timing of first postnatal check for the newborn................................................................ 30
Table 14 Birth registration of children under age 5 .......................................................................... 32
Table 15 Vaccinations by background characteristics ...................................................................... 35
Table 16 Treatment for ARI symptoms, fever, and diarrhoea .......................................................... 38
Table 17 Nutritional status of children ............................................................................................. 41
Table 18 Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators............................................................. 43
Table 19 Household possession of insecticide-treated nets .............................................................. 45
Table 20 Use of insecticide-treated nets by children and pregnant women...................................... 47
Table 21 Use of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) by women during pregnancy ................. 48
Table 22 Children with fever and care seeking for, diagnosis of, and treatment of fever ................ 50
Table 23 Media exposure to malaria messages: Women .................................................................. 52
Table 24 Media exposure to malaria messages: Men ....................................................................... 54
Table 25 Knowledge of ways to avoid malaria: Women .................................................................. 57
Table 26 Knowledge of ways to avoid malaria: Men ....................................................................... 59
Table 27 Knowledge about HIV prevention methods among young people .................................... 61
Table 28 Multiple sexual partners and higher-risk sexual intercourse in the past 12 months:
Women .............................................................................................................................. 63
Table 29 Multiple sexual partners and higher-risk sexual intercourse in the past 12 months:
Men .................................................................................................................................... 65
Table 30 Coverage of prior HIV testing: Women ............................................................................ 68
Table 31 Coverage of prior HIV testing: Men .................................................................................. 70
Table 32 Knowledge about tuberculosis: Women ............................................................................ 72
Table 33 Knowledge about tuberculosis: Men ................................................................................. 74
Table 34 Stigma in the community regarding tuberculosis: Women................................................ 76
Table 35 Stigma in the community regarding tuberculosis: Men ..................................................... 78
Table 36 Blood pressure diagnosis and treatment: Women.............................................................. 80
Table 37 Blood pressure diagnosis and treatment: Men ................................................................... 81
Table 38 Blood sugar diagnosis and treatment: Women .................................................................. 83
Table 39 Blood sugar diagnosis and treatment: Men ....................................................................... 84
Table 40 Women’s participation in decision making regarding sexual and reproductive health ..... 86

Figure 1 Trends in fertility by residence .......................................................................................... 12

Figure 2 Trends in use of, need for, and demand for family planning ............................................. 21
Figure 3 Trends in early childhood mortality rates .......................................................................... 25
Figure 4 Trends in maternal care indicators ..................................................................................... 29
Figure 5 Trends in childhood vaccinations ...................................................................................... 34
Figure 6 Trends in child growth measures ....................................................................................... 40
Figure 7 Trends in exclusive breastfeeding ..................................................................................... 44
Figure 8 Trends in household ownership of insecticide-treated nets ............................................... 46

v
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

ACT artemisinin-based combination therapy

ANC antenatal care
ARI acute respiratory infection
ART antiretroviral therapy
ARVs antiretroviral medicines
ASFR age-specific fertility rate

BCG bacille Calmette-Guérin

CAPI computer-assisted personal interviewing

CBR crude birth rate
CPR contraceptive prevalence rate
CSPro Census and Survey Processing

DHS Demographic and Health Survey

DPT diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus

EA enumeration area

FCT Federal Capital Territory

FGM female genital mutilation

GFR general fertility rate

HepB hepatitis B
Hib Haemophilus influenzae type B
HIV human immunodeficiency virus

IPTp intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy

IPV inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine
ITN insecticide-treated net
IUD intrauterine device
IYCF infant and young child feeding

LAM lactational amenorrhoea method

LGA local government area
LLIN long-lasting insecticidal net

OPV oral polio vaccine

ORS oral rehydration salts

PCV pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

PNC postnatal care
PrEP pre-exposure prophylaxis
PSU primary sampling unit

RV rotavirus vaccine

vii
SD standard deviation
SDG Sustainable Development Goal
SDM standard days method
SP sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine

TB tuberculosis
TFR total fertility rate

USAID United States Agency for International Development

WHO World Health Organization

viii
FOREWORD

It is with utmost pleasure that I present the 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2023–24
NDHS) Key Indicators Report, a preliminary report providing a detailed analysis of critical metrics
shaping our country’s current state and trajectory.

This document represents a significant milestone in our commitment to transparency, accountability, and
evidence-based action, aiming to provide a clear overview of essential indicators influencing policy-
making and resource allocation.

This Key Indicators Report gives an initial outlook on the critical data collected, offering valuable insights
into the health and well-being of our population. The NDHS has been instrumental in monitoring and
improving maternal and child health by delivering comprehensive data on fertility, reproductive health,
child nutrition, and childhood mortality and addressing major public health challenges such as
communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Additionally, the survey’s findings on social determinants
of health ensure that our health systems are responsive to every Nigerian’s diverse and evolving needs.

The collaborative effort in the implementation of the survey is highly commendable, with oversight by the
Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare involving various departments, experts, and community
members dedicated to ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the data presented. I extend my deepest
appreciation to ICF for its technical support; the National Population Commission, which implemented the
survey; and all stakeholders for their immense contributions. In addition, I extend appreciation to the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID); the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA); the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund); the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the World Health Organization (WHO); and other partners for their financial
and technical support.

My special gratitude also goes to the team of researchers, fieldworkers, and community stakeholders
including the survey respondents whose contributions have been invaluable in shaping the outcomes of the
survey.

The insights and findings presented in this report, combined with the data from the 2023–24 NDHS final
report, will serve as a foundation for evidence-based decision making, guiding our ongoing commitment to
advancing the health and welfare of all citizens. By leveraging this information, we can build a healthier,
more equitable country and work towards addressing the identified challenges and enhancing our strengths
for a prosperous and sustainable future.

Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, CON

Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare

ix
1 INTRODUCTION

The 2023–24 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2023–24 NDHS) was implemented by the
National Population Commission (NPC) under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare (FMoHSW). Data collection was conducted from 1 December 2023 to 7 May 2024. ICF provided
technical assistance through The Demographic and Health Surveys Program (DHS), which is funded by
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and provides technical assistance for
population and health surveys in countries worldwide. The National Steering Committee and the National
Technical Committee played a vital role in the successful implementation of the survey, providing
technical support in various phases including the review of the Key Indicators Report. The National
Technical Committee, composed of FMoHSW departments, programmes, and agencies; development
partners; and other related health sectors, led the process of establishing indicators to be presented in the
report, among other technical survey activities.

This Key Indicators Report presents an initial overview of selected findings from the 2023–24 NDHS. A
comprehensive analysis of the data will be presented in a final report in 2025.

The primary objective of the 2023–24 NDHS is to provide up-to-date estimates of essential demographic
and health indicators. Specifically, the survey collected information on fertility and contraceptive use;
maternal and child health; nutrition; childhood mortality; women’s empowerment; domestic violence;
female genital mutilation (FGM); fistula; disability; knowledge, awareness, and behaviour regarding
malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and other health-
related issues.

The information collected through the 2023–24 NDHS is intended to assist policymakers and programme
managers in designing and evaluating programmes and strategies for improving the health of Nigeria’s
population. Additionally, the survey provides key indicators and statistics relevant to Nigeria’s progress
toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

1
2 SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION

2.1 SAMPLE DESIGN

The sampling frame used for the 2023–24 NDHS is the updated cartographical frame prepared for the
planned first fully digital Population and Housing Census in Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria is divided
into six zones (North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West). There
are 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yielding 37 subnational units. Each state is
subdivided into local government areas (LGAs), and each LGA is divided into localities. In addition to
these administrative units, each locality was subdivided into convenient areas called enumeration areas
(EAs) during the demarcation for the upcoming census. Primary sampling units (PSUs), referred to as
clusters in the 2023–24 NDHS, were based on these EAs.

The sample was designed to yield representative results for the country as a whole, for urban and rural
areas separately, for all six zones, and for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The sampling
frame excluded institutional populations such as persons in hotels, barracks, and prisons.

The 2023–24 NDHS employed a stratified two-stage sample design. Stratification was achieved by
separating each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory into urban and rural areas. In total, 74
sampling strata were identified. Samples were selected independently in every stratum via a two-stage
selection. The first stage involved selecting sample points (clusters) consisting of EAs. EAs were drawn
with a probability proportional to their size within each sampling stratum. A total of 1,400 clusters were
selected, 701 in urban areas and 699 in rural areas.

The second stage involved systematic sampling of households. A household listing operation was
undertaken in all of the selected clusters, and a fixed number of 30 households per cluster were selected
through an equal probability systematic selection process, for a total sample size of approximately 42,000
households.

All women age 15–49 who were either usual members of the selected households or visitors who stayed in
the households the night before the survey were eligible to be interviewed. One eligible woman in each
household was randomly selected to be asked additional questions about domestic violence. In one-third of
the sample households, all men age 15–59 who were usual members of the selected households or who
spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible for the Man’s Questionnaire.
Biomarker information was collected only in households selected for the men’s survey. The survey
included haemoglobin testing in these households among eligible women age 15–49 who consented to
being tested. With the parent’s or guardian’s consent, children age 6–59 months were also tested for
anaemia in these households. Height and weight information was collected from eligible women age 15–49
and children age 0–59 months in the subsample households.

For each household, Global Positioning System (GPS) data were collected at the time of listing and during
interviews.

The survey was successfully completed in 1,380 clusters, excluding 20 clusters where deteriorating
security conditions during fieldwork made data collection impossible. These areas were in Zamfara (10
clusters), Katsina (one cluster), Borno (three clusters), Kaduna (one cluster), Niger (one cluster), Benue
(two clusters), and Imo (two clusters).

2.2 QUESTIONNAIRES

Four questionnaires were used for the 2023–24 NDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s
Questionnaire, the Man’s Questionnaire, and the Biomarker Questionnaire. The questionnaires, based on
The DHS Program’s model questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues
relevant to Nigeria. Input was solicited from various stakeholders representing government ministries and

3
agencies, nongovernmental organisations, and international donors. In addition, a self-administered
Fieldworker Questionnaire collected information about the survey’s fieldworkers. After all questionnaires
were finalised in English, they were translated into Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.

The Household Questionnaire was used to list all members of and visitors to selected households. Basic
demographic information was collected on each person listed, including age, sex, marital status, education,
and relationship to the head of the household. For children under age 18, parents’ survival status was
determined. Information was also collected on household food insecurity and disability. The data on age
and sex were used to identify women and men who were eligible for individual interviews. In addition, the
questionnaire collected information on the characteristics of the household’s dwelling unit, such as source
of water; type of toilet facilities; materials used for flooring, external walls, and roofing; ownership of
various durable goods; and food security.

The Woman’s Questionnaire collected information from women age 15–49. Women answered questions
on the following topics:

▪ Background characteristics: age, date of birth, duration of residency, previous residency, literacy,
education, access to media, mobile phone ownership and use of mobile phones for financial
transactions, and internet use

▪ Reproduction: number of children ever born, pregnancy history, child mortality, current pregnancy,
and age at first menstrual period

▪ Contraception: knowledge and use of contraception, sources of contraceptive methods, and family
planning

▪ Pregnancy and postnatal care, child immunisation, and health and nutrition: prenatal, delivery, and
postnatal care; antenatal care and family planning counselling; breastfeeding and complementary
feeding practices; vaccination coverage; prevalence of and care seeking for diarrhoea, acute
respiratory infection (ARI), and fever; use of oral rehydration therapy; infant and young child feeding
(IYCF) practices; and dietary diversity

▪ Marriage and sexual activity: marital status, age at first marriage, age at first sexual intercourse, recent
sexual activity, number and types of sexual partners, co-wives, and use of condoms

▪ Fertility preferences: desire for more children, ideal number of children, gender preferences, intention
to use family planning and who is making this decision, pressure to become pregnant, and exposure to
media messages about family planning

▪ Husbands’ background characteristics and women’s work: husband’s age, level of education, and
occupation and respondent’s occupation, sources of earnings, participation in decision making, house
ownership, and attitude towards wife beating

▪ HIV/AIDS: knowledge of routes of HIV transmission, sources of information, awareness of

antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), behaviour to avoid STIs and
AIDS, stigma, history of HIV testing, and HIV status disclosure

▪ Malaria: household possession of mosquito nets, source of mosquito nets, access to insecticide-treated
nets (ITN), intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp), coverage of antimalarials, and
malaria knowledge and beliefs

▪ Other health issues: alcohol consumption and tobacco use, breast exams, cervical cancer tests,
problems in accessing health care, snake bites, and noncommunicable and communicable diseases
such as tuberculosis, COVID-19, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hypertension, and diabetes

4
▪ Female genital mutilation (FGM) and fistula

▪ Domestic violence (for a select sample): information on the prevalence and incidence of physical,
sexual, and emotional violence

The Man’s Questionnaire was administered to men age 15–59. The questionnaire collected information on:

▪ Background characteristics: age, date of birth, duration of residency, previous residency, literacy,
education, access to media, mobile phone ownership and use of mobile phones for financial
transactions, and internet use

▪ Reproduction: number of children biologically fathered

▪ Family planning: exposure to family planning methods and messages

▪ Marriage and sexual activity: marital status, number of wives, age at first sexual intercourse, recent
sexual intercourse, number of partners, use of condoms, and source of condoms

▪ Fertility preferences: desire for more children, ideal number of children, and gender preferences

▪ Employment and gender roles: occupation, type of earnings, attitudes toward household and financial
decision making, house ownership, and attitude towards wife beating

▪ Knowledge, awareness, attitudes, and behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS and other STIs: knowledge of
routes of HIV transmission, awareness of ARVs and PrEP, behaviour to avoid STIs and AIDS, stigma,
history of HIV testing, HIV status disclosure, history of STIs in the previous 12 months, and care
seeking

▪ Malaria: malaria knowledge and beliefs

▪ Other health issues: alcohol consumption and tobacco use; circumcision; attitudes around female
genital mutilation (FGM); snake bites; noncommunicable and communicable diseases such as
tuberculosis, COVID-19, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hypertension, and diabetes; and health insurance

The Biomarker Questionnaire was used to record the results of anthropometry measurements and
haemoglobin testing among eligible women and children.

The purpose of the Fieldworker Questionnaire was to collect basic background information on the people
who were collecting data in the field, including team supervisors, computer-assisted personal interviewing
(CAPI) supervisors, interviewers, and biomarker technicians.

The survey methodology and instruments received clearance from both the ICF Institutional Review Board
ethics committee and the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Nigeria.

2.3 ANTHROPOMETRY

Weight measurements were taken using Seca scales with a digital display (model number Seca 874U).
Height and length were measured with a ShorrBoard® measuring board. Children younger than age 24
months were measured lying down (recumbent length), while older children and adults were measured
standing (height).

To assess the precision of measurements, 10% of children were randomly selected to be measured a second
time. The DHS Program defines a difference of less than 1 centimetre between the two height
measurements as an acceptable level of precision. Children with a z score of less than −3 or more than 3
for height-for-age, weight-for-height, or weight-for-age were flagged and measured a second time. The
remeasurement of flagged cases was performed to ensure accurate reporting of height.

5
For children, anthropometric data are used to calculate three indices that reflect nutritional status: height-
for-age, weight-for-height, and weight-for-age. In presenting the anthropometric results, the height and
weight of children in the survey population were compared with the 2006 WHO Child Growth Standards,
which are based on an international sample of ethnically, culturally, and genetically diverse, healthy
children living under optimum conditions conducive to achieving a child’s full genetic growth potential
(WHO 2006b). Children who were severely malnourished were referred to a local health facility for
assessment and treatment. Biomarker technicians provided all households in the biomarker subsample with
an informational pamphlet containing the height and weight of all eligible children and adults.

2.4 TRAINING OF TRAINERS AND PRETEST

The training of trainers and pretest were carried out simultaneously from 16 September to 7 October 2023.
Forty participants were trained in thematic content, eight were trained in biomarker content, and four were
trained in data processing during the training of trainers workshop. The training of trainers lasted 17 days,
with participants trained in adult learning principles and training modalities as well as in the thematic
survey content and its collection in the Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro), the CAPI system
used during fieldwork. The pretest fieldwork started on 3 October and lasted for 4 days. Participants
collected data from four urban clusters around Akwanga (the town of the training centre), in Nasarawa
state. The participants represented the six zones covering the four languages in which the survey would be
conducted (English, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo), and each of the four teams conducted the pretest in one of
these languages. Each team was led by a zonal coordinator as the team supervisor. A data processing staff
member was assigned to each team to backstop during the pretest. The pretest also included training and
practice with the Biomarker Questionnaire. Based on field observations and suggestions from the pretest
team, revisions were made as needed to the wording and translations of the questionnaires and to the CAPI
programme to fix any bugs or logic issues.

2.5 TRAINING OF FIELD STAFF

Training for the 2023–24 NDHS fieldworkers was conducted from 1 November to 1 December 2023 in
Akwanga. Two separate training programmes were organised: one focused on the Household
Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, and the Man’s Questionnaire for interviewers and team
supervisors and another focused on biomarker components for biomarker technicians. Additional training
was conducted for team supervisors.

A total of 355 participants (271 enumerators and 84 biomarker specialists, including reserve candidates)
were recruited for the training. The training was coordinated by the four core team members, while 32
zonal and state coordinators, eight biomarker trainers, and eight data processing team members facilitated
the training. The trainers were trained during the training of trainers and pretest. Representatives from ICF
and FMoHSW attended the training as resource persons.

The training included lectures on completing the questionnaires, discussions, guided mock interviews, role
plays, pair interviewing practice exercises, knowledge assessments, and practical training using tablets to
reinforce learning and familiarise interviewers with the CAPI system.

The biomarker training took place from 7–24 November 2023, with 84 biomarker technicians
participating. To qualify for biomarker data collection, technicians had to be nurses or nutritionists.
Biomarker technicians were trained to measure the height and weight of children and adults. The training
on child height measurement included standardisation exercises and restandardisation exercises for those
technicians who did not pass the standardisation exercises. A total of 79 of the 84 participants passed the
child standardisation exercise, with five participants required to complete restandardisation. These five
participants passed on the second round of standardisation. There was also capillary blood collection and
haemoglobin measurement training and hands-on practice with both adults and children. In addition, the
biomarker specialists were trained in biomarker data collection using CAPI and the paper questionnaires
and on integration into the survey team’s processes.

6
Fieldwork practice took place over 4 days from 25–28 November, with a review session held on 29
November across 37 non-sample clusters near the training location in Akwanga and surrounding areas.

2.6 FIELDWORK

Data collection was carried out by 37 field teams, each consisting of one team supervisor, one CAPI
supervisor, three female interviewers, two male interviewers, two biomarker technicians, and one driver.
Data collection took place over a 5-month period from 1 December 2023 to 7 May 2024 across the 36
states and the Federal Capital Territory. Electronic data files containing interview results were transferred
from each interviewer’s tablet to the team supervisor’s tablet each day and then were transferred by the
supervisor to the central office every day via a secure data transfer system. Thirty-two state coordinators
directed by NPC supervised and monitored the quality of fieldwork activities. Weekly meetings were held
with the ICF survey management team to review the field check tables, discuss challenges and mitigation
plans, and update progress.

2.7 DATA PROCESSING

The survey data were collected using tablet computers running the Android operating system and CSPro
software, jointly developed by the United States Census Bureau, ICF, and Serpro S.A. English, Hausa,
Yoruba, and Igbo questionnaires were used for collecting data via CAPI. The CAPI programmes accepted
only valid responses, automatically performed checks on ranges of values, skipped to the appropriate
question based on the responses given, and checked the consistency of the data collected. Answers to the
survey questions were entered into the tablets by each interviewer. Supervisors downloaded interview data
to their tablet, checked the data for completeness, and monitored fieldwork progress.

Each day, after completion of interviews, field supervisors submitted data to the central server. Data were
sent to the central office via secure internet data transfer. The data processing managers monitored the
quality of the data received and downloaded data files for completed clusters into the system. ICF provided
the CSPro software for data processing and offered technical assistance in the preparation of the data
capture, data management, and data editing programmes. Secondary editing was conducted simultaneously
with data collection. All technical support for data processing and use of the tablets was provided by ICF.

7
3 KEY FINDINGS

3.1 RESPONSE RATES

Table 1 presents the response rates for the 2023–24 NDHS. A total of 41,115 households were selected for
the NDHS sample, of which 40,314 were found to be occupied. Of the occupied households, 40,047 were
successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 99%. In the interviewed households, 39,553 women
age 15–49 were identified as eligible for individual interviews. Interviews were completed with 39,050
women, yielding a response rate of 99%. In the subsample of households selected for the male survey,
12,426 men age 15–59 were identified as eligible for individual interviews and 12,204 were successfully
interviewed, yielding a response rate of 98%.

Table 1 Results of the household and individual interviews

Number of households, number of interviews, and response rates,
according to residence (unweighted), Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Residence
Result Urban Rural Total
Household interviews
Households selected 20,800 20,315 41,115
Households occupied 20,395 19,919 40,314
Households interviewed 20,235 19,812 40,047
Household response rate1 99.2 99.5 99.3
Interviews with women age 15–49
Number of eligible women 19,166 20,387 39,553
Number of eligible women
interviewed 18,920 20,130 39,050
Eligible women response rate2 98.7 98.7 98.7
Household interviews in
subsample
Households selected 6,935 6,769 13,704
Households occupied 6,818 6,668 13,486
Households interviewed 6,766 6,637 13,403
Household response rate in
subsample1 99.2 99.5 99.4
Interviews with men age 15–59
Number of eligible men 6,062 6,364 12,426
Number of eligible men
interviewed 5,960 6,244 12,204
Eligible men response rate2 98.3 98.1 98.2

1
Households interviewed/households occupied
2
Respondents interviewed/eligible respondents

3.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS

Table 2 presents the weighted and unweighted numbers and percent distributions of women and men
interviewed in the 2023–24 NDHS by selected background characteristics. The results presented in this
report are based on weighted data that are representative of the country as a whole, urban and rural areas
separately, and each of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

▪ Most respondents fall in the 15–19 age range: 21% of female respondents and 20% of male
respondents are age 15–19.

▪ The majority of female and male respondents are married or living together with a partner as if
married (67% and 53%, respectively).

▪ Similar percentages of female and male respondents live in rural areas (52% and 51%, respectively)
and urban areas (48% and 49%).

▪ Thirty-two percent of women and men live in the North West zone.

9
▪ A majority of both women (41%) and men (46%) have achieved a secondary education as their highest
level of education.

Table 2 Background characteristics of respondents

Percent distribution of women and men age 15–49 by selected background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Women Men
Background Weighted Weighted Unweighted Weighted Weighted Unweighted
characteristic percent number number percent number number
Age
15–19 20.8 8,105 7,995 20.4 2,230 2,193
20–24 17.5 6,853 6,713 14.5 1,590 1,550
25–29 16.5 6,443 6,375 13.5 1,475 1,426
30–34 14.3 5,583 5,581 13.1 1,427 1,431
35–39 12.5 4,900 5,016 15.0 1,640 1,619
40–44 10.5 4,105 4,133 13.2 1,439 1,484
45–49 7.8 3,062 3,237 10.3 1,127 1,173
Self-reported health status
Very good 49.1 19,187 18,392 46.8 5,116 4,926
Good 39.8 15,559 16,203 42.5 4,643 4,776
Moderate 10.0 3,919 4,058 9.8 1,074 1,072
Bad 0.9 366 370 0.6 70 81
Very bad 0.1 20 27 0.2 24 21
Religion
Catholic 8.2 3,212 4,070 7.6 829 1,038
Other Christian 33.7 13,174 15,270 33.2 3,633 4,251
Islam 57.6 22,486 19,501 58.2 6,358 5,464
Traditionalist 0.4 165 193 0.9 98 111
Other 0.0 14 16 0.1 9 12
Ethnic group
Ekoi 1.0 384 620 0.9 93 152
Fulani 6.6 2,577 2,815 6.4 698 781
Hausa 32.7 12,787 9,682 34.0 3,716 2,766
Ibibio 1.6 619 739 1.8 193 218
Igala 1.3 504 681 1.3 147 215
Igbo 11.2 4,359 6,030 10.5 1,151 1,592
Ijaw/Izon 1.1 426 830 1.2 128 265
Kanuri/Beriberi 1.9 746 788 1.3 144 161
Tiv 2.2 868 925 2.5 268 280
Yoruba 12.8 4,998 4,879 13.2 1,441 1,398
Other 27.6 10,777 11,057 27.0 2,947 3,047
Don’t know 0.0 5 4 0.0 1 1
Marital status
Never married 27.9 10,893 11,415 45.4 4,964 4,900
Married 64.1 25,050 24,215 51.8 5,659 5,633
Living together 3.1 1,214 1,424 1.4 150 182
Divorced/separated 2.6 1,017 1,073 1.2 128 137
Widowed 2.2 876 923 0.2 26 24
Residence
Urban 48.3 18,846 18,920 49.4 5,397 5,338
Rural 51.7 20,204 20,130 50.6 5,531 5,538
Zone
North Central 18.1 7,068 7,591 19.3 2,107 2,285
North East 15.9 6,213 6,338 15.7 1,720 1,697
North West 31.8 12,434 9,404 31.7 3,459 2,573
South East 8.4 3,280 5,068 7.8 849 1,331
South South 11.3 4,416 5,534 11.3 1,231 1,584
South West 14.4 5,640 5,115 14.3 1,560 1,406
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 2.0 764 830 2.4 267 299
Benue 2.6 1,008 963 2.6 285 284
Kogi 1.5 604 977 1.9 206 322
Kwara 2.0 790 1,007 2.5 275 353
Nasarawa 2.5 963 1,149 2.8 301 340
Niger 4.7 1,845 1,308 4.5 489 343
Plateau 2.8 1,093 1,357 2.6 284 344
North East
Adamawa 2.4 932 1,113 2.5 276 309
Bauchi 4.7 1,838 1,144 5.2 570 327
Borno 2.7 1,073 904 2.3 246 204
Gombe 1.6 610 1,142 1.9 202 371
Taraba 2.1 806 950 2.1 232 256
Yobe 2.4 954 1,085 1.8 193 230
Continued…

10
 Table 2—Continued
Women Men
Background Weighted Weighted Unweighted Weighted Weighted Unweighted
characteristic percent number number percent number number
North West
Jigawa 3.2 1,258 1,293 3.0 330 346
Kaduna 6.2 2,420 1,462 6.5 705 418
Kano 9.4 3,660 1,884 9.4 1,029 521
Katsina 4.6 1,778 1,177 4.4 479 302
Kebbi 2.4 925 1,342 2.1 231 336
Sokoto 3.2 1,238 1,361 3.3 357 395
Zamfara 3.0 1,154 885 3.0 329 255
South East
Abia 1.1 418 824 1.1 122 235
Anambra 1.8 707 1,037 1.7 191 292
Ebonyi 2.4 950 1,370 1.7 189 272
Enugu 1.3 502 832 1.2 135 222
Imo 1.8 704 1,005 1.9 212 310
South South
Akwa Ibom 1.5 570 753 1.6 178 232
Bayelsa 0.8 317 828 0.9 100 265
Cross River 1.3 524 880 1.3 140 248
Delta 2.6 1,010 957 2.3 249 226
Edo 1.7 661 921 1.8 197 274
Rivers 3.4 1,333 1,195 3.4 366 339
South West
Ekiti 0.7 276 569 0.6 68 149
Lagos 4.1 1,586 1,015 4.8 523 344
Ogun 3.3 1,288 999 2.9 321 246
Ondo 1.5 603 759 1.7 188 233
Osun 1.6 627 674 1.6 179 190
Oyo 3.2 1,260 1,099 2.6 281 244
Education
No education 34.3 13,404 12,139 22.5 2,462 2,271
Primary 11.2 4,359 4,382 10.6 1,159 1,107
Secondary 40.8 15,948 16,777 46.4 5,066 5,202
More than secondary 13.7 5,339 5,752 20.5 2,241 2,296
Wealth quintile
Lowest 17.2 6,724 6,993 16.3 1,776 1,813
Second 18.8 7,348 6,525 17.4 1,902 1,734
Middle 20.0 7,812 7,769 19.3 2,114 2,092
Fourth 21.6 8,435 8,855 23.1 2,523 2,600
Highest 22.4 8,731 8,908 23.9 2,612 2,637
Total 15–49 100.0 39,050 39,050 100.0 10,927 10,876
50–59 na na na na 1,277 1,328
Total 15–59 na na na na 12,204 12,204

Note: Education categories refer to the highest level of education attended, whether or not that level was completed.
na = not applicable

3.3 FERTILITY

Table 3 shows the total fertility rate (TFR) and age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) among women by 5-
year age groups for the 3-year period preceding the survey.

Total fertility rate

The average number of children a woman would have by the end of her
childbearing years if she bore children at the current age-specific fertility rates.
Age-specific fertility rates are calculated for the 3 years before the survey,
based on detailed pregnancy histories provided by women.
Sample: Women age 15–49

▪ If fertility were to remain constant at current levels, a woman in Nigeria would bear an average of 4.8
children in her lifetime.

▪ Fertility is much higher in rural areas than in urban areas. On average, women in rural areas give birth
to 5.6 children over their lifetime, while urban women give birth to 3.9 children in their lifetime.

11
▪ Fertility is low among adolescents (77 births per 1,000 women age 15–19), peaks at 233 births per
1,000 among women age 25–29, and then decreases thereafter.

Table 3 Current fertility

Age-specific and total fertility rates, general fertility

rate, and crude birth rate for the 3 years preceding
the survey, according to residence, Nigeria DHS
2023–24
Residence
Age group Urban Rural Total
10–14 [0] [2] [1]
15–19 36 114 77
20–24 158 251 209
25–29 213 250 233
30–34 196 221 209
35–39 115 154 134
40–44 49 97 72
45–49 [14] [34] [24]
TFR (15–49) 3.9 5.6 4.8
GFR 129 190 160
CBR 28 38 33

Notes: Age-specific fertility rates are per 1,000

women. Estimates in brackets are truncated. Rates
are for the period 1–36 months preceding the
interview. Rates for the 10–14 age group are based
on retrospective data from women age 15–17.
TFR: Total fertility rate expressed per woman
GFR: General fertility rate expressed per 1,000
women age 15–44
CBR: Crude birth rate, expressed per 1,000
population

Trends: The TFR in Nigeria has Figure 1 Trends in fertility by residence

declined consistently over time,
TFR for the 3 years before each survey
from 6.3 children per woman in the
2008 NDHS to 4.8 children per
women in the 2023–24 NDHS
(Figure 1). The TFR in rural areas 6.3 6.3 6.2
6.1 5.9
has remained higher than the TFR 5.6
6.0 Rural
in urban areas over the past 15 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.3
years. 5.0 4.8
Total
4.9 4.7 4.7 4.5 Urban
Table 4 shows the total fertility rate 3.9
(TFR) and age-specific fertility
rates (ASFRs) for the 3-year period
preceding the survey by zone and
state.
1990 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023–24
▪ The TFR is highest in the North NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS
East zone (6.1 births per
woman) and lowest in the South South zone (3.3 births per woman).

▪ The TFR at the state level is highest in Yobe (7.5 births per woman) in the North East zone and lowest
in Rivers (2.9 births per woman) in the South South zone.

▪ The zone with the most variation in TFRs is the North East, where rates range from 5.2 births per
woman in Taraba to 7.5 births per woman in Yobe.

12
Table 4 Total fertility by zone and
state

Total fertility rate for the 3 years

preceding the survey by zone and
state, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Total fertility
Zone and state rate
Zone
North Central 4.2
North East 6.1
North West 5.9
South East 4.1
South South 3.3
South West 3.4
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 3.2
Benue 3.5
Kogi 4.9
Kwara 4.0
Nasarawa 4.3
Niger 4.4
Plateau 4.4
North East
Adamawa 5.3
Bauchi 6.2
Borno 6.5
Gombe 5.5
Taraba 5.2
Yobe 7.5
North West
Jigawa 6.9
Kaduna 5.6
Kano 5.8
Katsina 5.7
Kebbi 6.6
Sokoto 5.4
Zamfara 6.3
South East
Abia 3.7
Anambra 3.7
Ebonyi 4.7
Enugu 3.5
Imo 4.4
South South
Akwa Ibom 3.3
Bayelsa 3.8
Cross River 3.0
Delta 3.7
Edo 3.3
Rivers 2.9
South West
Ekiti 3.8
Lagos 3.2
Ogun 4.1
Ondo 3.1
Osun 3.3
Oyo 3.3
Total 4.8

Note: Total fertility rates are for the

period 1–36 months prior to the
interview.

13
3.4 TEENAGE FERTILITY

Teenage pregnancy
Percentage of women age 15–19 who have ever been pregnant.
Sample: Women age 15–19

3.4.1 Teenage Pregnancy

Table 5 shows the percentage of young women age 15–19 who have ever had a live birth, the percentage
who have ever had a pregnancy loss, the percentage who are currently pregnant, and the percentage who
have ever been pregnant.

▪ Fifteen percent of women age 15–19 have ever been pregnant.

▪ Eleven percent of young women have had a live birth.

▪ Two percent of young women have had a pregnancy loss.

▪ Four percent of young women are currently pregnant.

Table 5 Teenage pregnancy

Percentage of women age 15–19 who have ever had a live birth, percentage who have ever had a
pregnancy loss, percentage who are currently pregnant, and percentage who have ever been
pregnant, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage of women age 15–19 who:
Have ever
Have ever had a Have ever
Background had a live pregnancy Are currently been Number of
characteristic birth loss1 pregnant pregnant women
Age
15 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.8 1,740
16 3.1 0.4 2.4 5.6 1,704
17 8.4 1.2 3.0 11.8 1,613
18 16.5 3.4 7.2 23.3 1,673
19 29.4 4.1 9.1 36.9 1,375
Residence
Urban 4.0 1.2 1.8 6.4 3,979
Rural 17.3 2.3 6.5 22.9 4,126
Zone
North Central 8.4 1.1 3.2 12.0 1,440
North East 12.7 1.9 5.8 18.3 1,282
North West 16.9 2.5 6.9 22.5 2,828
South East 3.9 0.5 1.0 5.2 640
South South 5.3 2.5 1.1 7.9 824
South West 3.9 0.7 1.1 5.3 1,091
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 1.9 1.2 0.7 3.8 134
Benue 4.6 2.0 4.7 10.1 195
Kogi 13.2 1.9 2.7 16.1 107
Kwara 8.2 0.0 5.9 12.9 173
Nasarawa 7.6 2.2 4.3 12.7 188
Niger 13.1 0.9 2.1 16.1 386
Plateau 6.4 0.1 2.6 8.6 257
North East
Adamawa 10.0 1.1 5.6 15.2 205
Bauchi 17.1 2.5 7.2 25.3 359
Borno 9.4 0.1 7.4 14.6 207
Gombe 11.4 1.5 6.3 16.3 138
Taraba 8.7 3.4 3.6 13.9 184
Yobe 16.0 2.0 3.6 18.1 189
Continued…

14
 Table 5—Continued
Percentage of women age 15–19 who:
Have ever
Have ever had a Have ever
Background had a live pregnancy Are currently been Number of
characteristic birth loss1 pregnant pregnant women
North West
Jigawa 24.1 1.5 7.5 29.2 311
Kaduna 21.1 5.7 9.9 29.9 523
Kano 10.5 2.7 2.5 12.9 959
Katsina 14.9 0.8 8.8 22.9 355
Kebbi 24.0 2.5 11.6 31.6 201
Sokoto 15.6 0.0 7.3 20.9 266
Zamfara 23.1 1.6 9.8 29.8 212
South East
Abia 2.3 1.2 1.2 4.7 76
Anambra 2.2 0.9 2.4 4.9 129
Ebonyi 5.0 0.0 1.0 5.7 232
Enugu 5.0 0.9 0.0 5.9 82
Imo 4.0 0.5 0.4 4.3 120
South South
Akwa Ibom 7.3 3.5 2.2 10.7 100
Bayelsa 6.0 9.3 2.3 14.5 71
Cross River 4.3 0.5 0.0 4.8 107
Delta 6.8 4.2 2.0 11.5 199
Edo 1.5 1.1 0.0 2.6 138
Rivers 5.5 0.0 0.4 6.0 209
South West
Ekiti 5.9 0.0 4.0 9.9 76
Lagos 2.0 0.8 0.8 2.7 289
Ogun 3.2 0.5 1.0 4.2 271
Ondo 4.9 0.6 0.0 5.5 113
Osun 5.5 0.0 1.8 7.3 110
Oyo 5.2 1.4 0.8 7.5 231
Education
No education 25.7 3.1 10.1 33.7 2,142
Primary 12.3 2.4 4.2 17.7 748
Secondary 4.5 1.1 1.8 6.8 4,979
More than secondary 1.6 0.9 1.0 3.5 236
Wealth quintile
Lowest 22.1 2.3 8.2 28.5 1,304
Second 18.0 2.8 6.6 24.0 1,616
Middle 9.6 1.5 4.0 13.2 1,741
Fourth 5.0 1.5 2.2 7.9 1,839
Highest 2.1 0.9 1.1 3.9 1,605
Total 10.8 1.8 4.2 14.8 8,105

1
Stillbirth, miscarriage, or abortion

3.4.2 Age at First Birth

Median age at first live birth

Age by which half of women have had their first child.
Sample: Women age 20–49 and 25–49

Table 6 shows the percentage of women age 15–49 who had a live birth by exact ages, the percentage who
have never had a live birth, and the median age at first live birth.

▪ Among respondents age 20–24, over one-third (37%) had a live birth by age 20.

▪ Among respondents age 25–29, 59% had a live birth by age 22 and nearly three quarters (74%) had a
live birth by age 25.

▪ Half of women age 25–49 had their first child by age 21.

15
 Table 6 Age at first birth
Percentage of women age 15–49 who had a live birth by exact ages, percentage who have never had a live birth, and median age at first
live birth, according to current age, Nigeria DHS 2023–24

Percentage
who have Median age
Percentage who had a live birth by exact age never had a Number of at first live
Current age 15 18 20 22 25 live birth women birth
15–19 1.1 na na na na 89.2 8,105 a
20–24 3.2 21.0 36.7 na na 44.6 6,853 a
25–29 4.6 25.9 42.6 58.6 74.2 18.0 6,443 20.9
30–34 5.1 24.6 40.6 56.2 73.1 8.2 5,583 21.2
35–39 4.9 21.9 37.4 52.4 70.1 4.5 4,900 21.7
40–44 4.6 22.5 39.9 53.6 69.1 3.3 4,105 21.4
45–49 5.1 24.8 39.5 53.0 70.6 3.3 3,062 21.5
20–49 4.5 23.4 39.4 na na 16.6 30,945 a
25–49 4.8 24.1 40.2 55.2 71.8 8.6 24,092 21.3

na = not applicable due to censoring

a = omitted because less than 50% of women had a birth before reaching the beginning of the age group

3.5 FERTILITY PREFERENCES

Desire for another child

Women were asked whether they wanted more children and, if so, how long
they would prefer to wait before the birth of the next child. Women who are
sterilised are assumed not to want any more children.
Sample: Currently married women age 15–49

Table 7 shows fertility preferences among currently married women age 15–49 by number of living
children.

▪ Twenty-eight percent of women want another child soon (within the next 2 years), 33% want to have
another child later (in 2 or more years), 1% want another child but have not decided when, and 9% are
undecided.

▪ Twenty-seven percent of women want no more children.

▪ Among women with five living children (including the current pregnancy), 25% say they want another
child later (in 2 or more years), and 45% say they want no more children.

Table 7 Fertility preferences by number of living children

Percent distribution of currently married women age 15–49 by desire for children, according to number of living children,
Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Number of living children1
Desire for children 0 1 2 3 4 5 6+ Total
2
Have another soon 87.4 40.8 33.9 23.9 19.1 17.1 12.2 28.4
Have another later3 5.3 51.3 46.8 36.2 28.7 24.8 17.6 32.7
Have another, undecided when 0.7 1.3 1.3 0.9 0.9 0.7 1.1 1.0
Undecided 3.3 4.2 6.7 10.1 10.0 9.8 12.0 8.5
Want no more 0.7 2.0 10.0 26.8 38.7 44.5 52.0 26.9
Sterilised4 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.4
Declared infecund 2.6 0.4 1.1 1.7 2.1 2.5 4.5 2.1
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number of women 1,572 3,980 4,461 4,539 4,017 3,050 4,646 26,264

1
The number of living children includes a woman’s current pregnancy.
2
Wants next birth within 2 years
3
Wants to delay next birth for 2 or more years
4
Includes both female and male sterilisation

16
3.6 FAMILY PLANNING

3.6.1 Contraceptive Use

Contraceptive prevalence
Percentage of women who use any contraceptive method.
Sample: Currently married women age 15–49 and sexually active unmarried
women age 15–49

Modern methods
Include male and female sterilisation, injectables, intrauterine devices (IUDs),
contraceptive pills, implants, female and male condoms, emergency
contraception, the standard days method, and the lactational amenorrhoea
method.

Table 8 presents data on contraceptive use among currently married women and sexually active unmarried
women.

▪ The contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) is 20% among currently married women and 50% among
sexually active unmarried women.

▪ Fifteen percent of currently married women and 38% of sexually active unmarried women use a
modern contraception method.

▪ Among currently married women, the most commonly used contraceptive methods are implants (6%)
and injectables (4%). Among sexually active unmarried women, the most commonly used
contraceptive methods are male condoms (26%) and withdrawal (9%).

17
Table 8 Current use of contraception according to background characteristics
Percent distribution of currently married women and sexually active unmarried women age 15–49 by contraceptive method currently used, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Modern method Traditional method
Emer-
Any Female gency Any tradi- Not Number
Background Any modern sterili- Inject- Male contra- tional With- currently of
characteristic method method sation IUD ables Implants Pill condom ception LAM Other1 method Rhythm drawal Other using Total women
CURRENTLY MARRIED WOMEN
Number of living
children
0 3.5 2.9 0.0 0.2 0.7 0.4 0.0 1.2 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.6 0.1 0.5 0.0 96.5 100.0 2,259
1–2 18.1 12.8 0.1 0.4 2.6 4.5 1.0 2.2 0.2 1.6 0.1 5.3 1.0 3.9 0.3 81.9 100.0 8,330
3–4 27.7 21.2 0.5 1.4 5.1 8.0 1.9 2.2 0.4 1.6 0.2 6.5 1.8 4.2 0.6 72.3 100.0 8,338
5+ 19.5 15.3 0.6 0.7 4.7 5.8 1.3 0.7 0.1 1.2 0.1 4.2 1.1 2.3 0.8 80.5 100.0 7,337
Age
15–19 4.3 3.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.8 0.2 0.7 0.1 1.3 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.9 0.1 95.7 100.0 1,455
20–24 12.8 10.3 0.0 0.1 2.4 3.2 0.9 1.5 0.2 1.9 0.2 2.5 0.3 1.8 0.3 87.2 100.0 4,073
25–29 18.8 14.4 0.0 0.3 3.7 5.7 1.3 1.6 0.2 1.6 0.0 4.4 0.8 2.9 0.6 81.2 100.0 5,240
30–34 22.7 17.5 0.3 0.7 4.6 6.8 1.3 1.7 0.3 1.8 0.1 5.2 1.2 3.6 0.3 77.3 100.0 4,959
35–39 26.6 19.8 0.5 1.1 5.1 7.3 2.1 2.1 0.3 1.2 0.2 6.7 1.7 4.3 0.8 73.4 100.0 4,386
40–44 26.5 19.6 0.9 1.7 4.9 7.6 1.6 2.0 0.2 0.5 0.2 6.9 2.2 4.0 0.7 73.5 100.0 3,604
45–49 20.1 13.9 1.2 1.8 3.2 4.3 1.0 1.7 0.2 0.2 0.3 6.3 1.8 3.9 0.6 79.9 100.0 2,546
Residence
Urban 30.6 22.4 0.6 1.5 5.0 8.0 2.1 3.1 0.4 1.5 0.2 8.2 1.8 5.8 0.6 69.4 100.0 11,003
Rural 12.8 10.2 0.2 0.3 3.0 3.9 0.8 0.7 0.1 1.2 0.1 2.7 0.8 1.4 0.4 87.2 100.0 15,261
Zone
North Central 19.4 16.0 0.5 0.8 4.1 5.6 1.0 2.2 0.1 1.3 0.3 3.4 0.7 2.3 0.4 80.6 100.0 4,810
North East 13.9 12.9 0.4 0.3 3.6 3.9 1.3 0.3 0.0 2.8 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.6 0.2 86.1 100.0 4,409
North West 10.3 9.3 0.2 0.3 3.4 4.0 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.1 0.1 0.4 0.5 89.7 100.0 9,335
South East 29.8 15.1 0.1 0.8 1.8 6.9 0.8 3.3 0.1 1.3 0.1 14.7 5.8 8.0 0.9 70.2 100.0 1,851
South South 30.8 18.7 0.9 0.5 3.3 6.6 1.4 3.5 0.8 1.6 0.1 12.1 4.1 7.7 0.2 69.2 100.0 2,356
South West 43.9 31.4 0.5 3.0 6.2 11.0 2.8 5.0 0.8 2.1 0.0 12.5 1.7 9.8 0.9 56.1 100.0 3,504
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 21.3 19.3 0.9 2.5 5.2 8.5 1.2 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.1 2.0 0.1 1.9 0.0 78.7 100.0 437
Benue 31.3 23.1 1.0 0.1 2.6 5.1 2.3 8.6 0.6 2.2 0.5 8.3 3.7 4.5 0.0 68.7 100.0 615
Kogi 13.1 10.5 0.0 0.4 1.4 4.6 0.3 1.8 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.6 0.0 1.6 1.0 86.9 100.0 422
Kwara 11.0 9.9 0.1 1.0 2.3 3.2 0.5 2.4 0.3 0.0 0.0 1.1 0.0 0.8 0.3 89.0 100.0 531
Nasarawa 25.5 22.4 0.9 0.6 6.7 9.8 1.4 2.7 0.0 0.1 0.2 3.1 0.4 2.4 0.3 74.5 100.0 656
Niger 10.3 8.3 0.2 0.7 2.0 1.7 0.4 0.4 0.0 2.9 0.1 2.0 0.2 1.2 0.6 89.7 100.0 1,453
Plateau 31.1 25.6 0.4 1.1 9.6 10.8 1.3 0.9 0.2 1.0 0.1 5.5 1.0 4.2 0.3 68.9 100.0 696
North East
Adamawa 20.4 17.5 0.0 0.1 5.2 4.8 0.7 0.7 0.0 6.0 0.0 2.8 0.5 2.2 0.2 79.6 100.0 619
Bauchi 11.3 10.6 0.7 0.7 2.5 3.0 1.1 0.0 0.0 2.4 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.6 0.1 88.7 100.0 1,440
Borno 9.5 9.3 0.1 0.2 4.0 2.0 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 90.5 100.0 752
Gombe 30.9 30.3 0.3 0.1 7.0 9.0 1.7 0.9 0.0 10.9 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.5 0.1 69.1 100.0 432
Taraba 11.5 10.9 0.8 0.0 2.7 6.0 0.1 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.2 88.5 100.0 483
Yobe 9.0 7.6 0.5 0.2 2.7 2.2 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 0.1 0.5 0.8 91.0 100.0 681
Continued…

18
Table 8—Continued
Modern method Traditional method
Emer-
Any Female gency Any tradi- Not Number
Background Any modern sterili- Inject- Male contra- tional With- currently of
1
characteristic method method sation IUD ables Implants Pill condom ception LAM Other method Rhythm drawal Other using Total women
North West
Jigawa 4.4 3.5 0.1 0.0 2.2 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 0.2 0.4 0.3 95.6 100.0 948
Kaduna 14.2 13.1 0.5 0.4 4.8 5.5 1.5 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.0 1.1 0.4 0.5 0.2 85.8 100.0 1,834
Kano 11.1 10.6 0.1 0.0 4.2 4.7 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.4 0.2 88.9 100.0 2,421
Katsina 7.7 6.7 0.0 0.2 2.9 2.6 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.3 0.7 92.3 100.0 1,439
Kebbi 3.3 3.0 0.1 0.0 1.4 1.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 96.7 100.0 758
Sokoto 6.9 6.0 0.0 0.0 1.9 3.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.9 0.0 0.2 0.6 93.1 100.0 990
Zamfara 20.0 16.4 0.4 1.5 4.0 7.9 0.4 0.2 0.0 1.9 0.0 3.6 0.0 1.3 2.3 80.0 100.0 946
South East
Abia 34.0 18.3 0.1 0.8 4.1 8.7 0.5 1.8 0.2 1.9 0.2 15.7 7.3 8.2 0.2 66.0 100.0 221
Anambra 41.3 22.0 0.0 1.2 3.1 11.3 1.7 4.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 19.3 9.3 7.2 2.8 58.7 100.0 400
Ebonyi 9.9 7.4 0.2 0.4 0.8 4.7 0.3 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 1.5 1.0 0.1 90.1 100.0 531
Enugu 25.9 11.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 5.2 0.2 4.0 0.0 0.6 0.1 14.6 1.4 13.0 0.2 74.1 100.0 269
Imo 44.1 18.9 0.0 1.1 1.4 5.6 0.9 5.2 0.2 4.5 0.1 25.1 9.9 14.2 1.1 55.9 100.0 430
South South
Akwa Ibom 43.2 17.2 0.8 0.4 2.4 7.6 1.5 2.7 0.5 0.7 0.5 26.1 10.2 14.7 1.2 56.8 100.0 328
Bayelsa 24.6 16.9 0.9 0.1 1.8 4.6 0.3 4.1 1.6 3.5 0.0 7.7 4.1 3.6 0.0 75.4 100.0 169
Cross River 27.2 18.8 0.4 0.4 3.3 11.1 1.1 2.4 0.1 0.2 0.0 8.4 0.9 7.5 0.0 72.8 100.0 269
Delta 42.3 24.4 0.4 0.7 3.8 7.6 2.1 4.5 2.0 3.3 0.1 17.9 7.1 10.9 0.0 57.7 100.0 553
Edo 27.5 19.4 0.6 1.1 4.4 4.2 2.0 3.7 0.7 2.7 0.0 8.1 3.6 4.3 0.2 72.5 100.0 344
Rivers 20.4 15.0 1.6 0.3 3.1 5.2 1.0 3.1 0.2 0.3 0.1 5.4 0.5 4.8 0.2 79.6 100.0 694
South West
Ekiti 66.1 42.8 0.2 4.6 5.7 11.3 5.4 8.7 1.6 5.3 0.0 23.3 2.8 20.1 0.4 33.9 100.0 148
Lagos 54.2 30.7 0.9 1.6 4.7 7.1 2.4 9.8 1.4 2.6 0.1 23.5 3.5 18.8 1.3 45.8 100.0 955
Ogun 39.9 28.9 0.7 2.3 7.0 8.5 4.4 3.9 1.1 1.1 0.1 11.0 1.7 7.3 2.0 60.1 100.0 824
Ondo 26.8 22.9 0.5 1.9 4.9 11.8 2.1 0.4 0.3 1.0 0.0 3.9 1.0 2.9 0.0 73.2 100.0 350
Osun 40.3 35.0 0.2 2.7 6.0 16.3 3.2 4.2 0.0 2.4 0.0 5.3 1.0 4.3 0.0 59.7 100.0 389
Oyo 40.9 34.4 0.0 5.5 8.0 14.8 1.3 2.3 0.4 2.2 0.0 6.5 0.3 5.8 0.4 59.1 100.0 838
Education
No education 7.4 6.3 0.2 0.2 2.0 2.1 0.5 0.2 0.0 1.1 0.0 1.1 0.1 0.5 0.5 92.6 100.0 11,559
Primary 20.6 16.3 0.3 0.7 4.9 6.0 1.6 1.2 0.2 1.2 0.1 4.4 0.9 2.8 0.7 79.4 100.0 3,204
Secondary 29.9 22.5 0.5 1.0 5.5 8.8 1.9 2.6 0.5 1.6 0.2 7.4 2.0 4.8 0.6 70.1 100.0 8,292
More than
secondary 41.3 28.0 0.8 2.5 5.0 10.0 2.2 5.3 0.3 1.5 0.3 13.3 3.5 9.5 0.3 58.7 100.0 3,209
Wealth quintile
Lowest 6.0 5.1 0.1 0.0 1.6 1.8 0.4 0.1 0.0 1.1 0.1 0.8 0.1 0.4 0.3 94.0 100.0 5,494
Second 9.7 8.1 0.2 0.2 2.4 3.1 0.4 0.3 0.0 1.3 0.1 1.6 0.3 0.8 0.5 90.3 100.0 5,552
Middle 18.7 14.6 0.3 0.4 4.1 6.0 1.4 0.9 0.3 1.1 0.1 4.1 1.1 2.5 0.6 81.3 100.0 5,133
Fourth 29.9 23.0 0.5 1.1 6.2 8.7 1.7 2.6 0.3 1.7 0.2 6.9 1.5 4.8 0.6 70.1 100.0 4,882
Highest 39.2 27.2 0.7 2.3 5.2 9.2 2.7 4.7 0.6 1.5 0.2 12.0 3.2 8.2 0.6 60.8 100.0 5,203
Total 20.3 15.3 0.4 0.8 3.8 5.6 1.3 1.7 0.2 1.3 0.1 5.0 1.2 3.3 0.5 79.7 100.0 26,264
Continued…

19
Table 8—Continued
Modern method Traditional method
Emer-
Any Female gency Any tradi- Not Number
Background Any modern sterili- Inject- Male contra- tional With- currently of
1
characteristic method method sation IUD ables Implants Pill condom ception LAM Other method Rhythm drawal Other using Total women
SEXUALLY ACTIVE UNMARRIED WOMEN2
Residence
Urban 52.4 39.1 0.2 0.3 1.6 2.1 3.3 28.0 3.0 0.2 0.4 13.3 2.4 10.2 0.6 47.6 100.0 1,004
Rural 44.1 34.2 0.3 0.0 2.2 2.5 3.6 21.7 3.3 0.0 0.6 9.9 3.2 6.2 0.6 55.9 100.0 505
Total 49.6 37.5 0.2 0.2 1.8 2.2 3.4 25.9 3.1 0.1 0.5 12.1 2.7 8.8 0.6 50.4 100.0 1,510

Note: If more than one method is used, only the most effective method is considered in this tabulation.
LAM = lactational amenorrhoea method
1
Other modern methods include male sterilisation, female condoms, and the standard days method.
2
Women who have had sexual intercourse within 30 days preceding the survey

20
Trends: The percentage of Figure 2 Trends in use of, need for, and demand for
currently married women age 15–49 family planning
using contraceptive methods has Percentage of currently married women age 15–49
increased over time, from 6% in
1990 to 20% in 2023–24. Over the
same period, use of modern
methods increased from 4% to 15%
(Figure 2). Total demand
Unmet need
41 Currently using
35 36
30 31 traditional
28 21
19 methods (met
20 16
18 need)
22 5
5 5 5 Currently using
4 15
3 4 8 10 10 12 modern methods
(met need)
1990 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023–24
NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS

3.6.2 Need and Demand for Family Planning

Table 9 presents data on unmet need, met need, and total demand for family planning among currently
married and sexually active unmarried women. These indicators help evaluate the extent to which family
planning programmes in Nigeria are meeting the demand for services.

Unmet need for family planning

Percentage of women who (1) are not pregnant and not postpartum
amenorrhoeic and are considered fecund and want to postpone their next birth
for 2 or more years or stop childbearing altogether but are not using a
contraceptive method, or (2) have a mistimed or unwanted current pregnancy,
or (3) are postpartum amenorrhoeic and their most recent birth in the past 2
years was mistimed or unwanted.
Met need for family planning
Current contraceptive use (any method).
Sample: Currently married women age 15–49 and sexually active unmarried
women age 15–49

Demand for Unmet need for family planning

family planning: + met need (current contraceptive use [any method])

Proportion of Current contraceptive use (any method)

demand Unmet need + current contraceptive use (any method)
satisfied:

Proportion of Current contraceptive use (any modern method)

demand Unmet need + current contraceptive use (any method)
satisfied
by modern
methods:

▪ Twenty-one percent of currently married women and 36% of sexually active unmarried women have
an unmet need for family planning.

▪ The met need for family planning from modern methods is 15% among currently married women and
38% among sexually active unmarried women.

21
▪ The percentage of demand satisfied by modern methods is 37% among currently married women and
44% among sexually active unmarried women.

Table 9 Need and demand for family planning among currently married women and sexually active unmarried women

Percentage of currently married women and sexually active unmarried women age 15–49 with unmet need for family planning,
percentage with met need for family planning, percentage with met need for family planning who are using modern methods,
percentage with demand for family planning, percentage of the demand for family planning that is satisfied, and percentage of the
demand for family planning that is satisfied with modern methods, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Met need for family Total Percentage of demand
Unmet need planning (currently using) demand for satisfied1
Background for family Modern family Number of Modern
characteristic planning All methods methods2 planning3 women All methods methods2
CURRENTLY MARRIED WOMEN
Age
15–19 15.8 4.3 3.3 20.1 1,455 21.4 16.4
20–24 21.0 12.8 10.3 33.8 4,073 37.8 30.5
25–29 21.1 18.8 14.4 39.9 5,240 47.1 36.0
30–34 22.4 22.7 17.5 45.0 4,959 50.4 38.9
35–39 23.8 26.6 19.8 50.4 4,386 52.7 39.4
40–44 21.8 26.5 19.6 48.3 3,604 54.9 40.6
45–49 15.1 20.1 13.9 35.2 2,546 57.2 39.4
Residence
Urban 21.3 30.6 22.4 51.9 11,003 58.9 43.2
Rural 20.8 12.8 10.2 33.6 15,261 38.2 30.3
Zone
North Central 21.4 19.4 16.0 40.8 4,810 47.5 39.1
North East 22.9 13.9 12.9 36.8 4,409 37.7 34.9
North West 20.3 10.3 9.3 30.6 9,335 33.8 30.2
South East 21.4 29.8 15.1 51.2 1,851 58.3 29.5
South South 21.8 30.8 18.7 52.7 2,356 58.5 35.5
South West 19.1 43.9 31.4 62.9 3,504 69.7 49.9
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 26.5 21.3 19.3 47.8 437 44.5 40.3
Benue 20.2 31.3 23.1 51.6 615 60.7 44.7
Kogi 21.8 13.1 10.5 34.9 422 37.5 30.0
Kwara 27.1 11.0 9.9 38.1 531 28.9 26.0
Nasarawa 21.3 25.5 22.4 46.8 656 54.5 47.9
Niger 21.8 10.3 8.3 32.1 1,453 32.0 25.8
Plateau 14.1 31.1 25.6 45.2 696 68.8 56.6
North East
Adamawa 24.5 20.4 17.5 44.9 619 45.4 39.0
Bauchi 22.2 11.3 10.6 33.5 1,440 33.9 31.8
Borno 26.3 9.5 9.3 35.8 752 26.5 25.9
Gombe 13.2 30.9 30.3 44.1 432 70.1 68.7
Taraba 24.4 11.5 10.9 35.9 483 32.0 30.3
Yobe 24.6 9.0 7.6 33.7 681 26.8 22.7
North West
Jigawa 14.1 4.4 3.5 18.5 948 23.8 19.1
Kaduna 25.0 14.2 13.1 39.3 1,834 36.2 33.4
Kano 26.0 11.1 10.6 37.2 2,421 30.0 28.5
Katsina 17.1 7.7 6.7 24.9 1,439 31.2 27.0
Kebbi 20.5 3.3 3.0 23.8 758 13.7 12.7
Sokoto 10.7 6.9 6.0 17.6 990 39.0 34.0
Zamfara 17.3 20.0 16.4 37.3 946 53.6 44.0
South East
Abia 19.8 34.0 18.3 53.7 221 63.2 34.1
Anambra 15.0 41.3 22.0 56.3 400 73.4 39.1
Ebonyi 29.2 9.9 7.4 39.1 531 25.3 18.8
Enugu 23.6 25.9 11.2 49.5 269 52.2 22.6
Imo 17.0 44.1 18.9 61.1 430 72.1 31.0
South South
Akwa Ibom 22.6 43.2 17.2 65.9 328 65.6 26.1
Bayelsa 27.7 24.6 16.9 52.3 169 47.0 32.2
Cross River 30.3 27.2 18.8 57.5 269 47.3 32.8
Delta 16.4 42.3 24.4 58.7 553 72.1 41.6
Edo 19.1 27.5 19.4 46.6 344 59.0 41.6
Rivers 22.5 20.4 15.0 42.9 694 47.6 34.9
South West
Ekiti 12.8 66.1 42.8 78.9 148 83.8 54.3
Lagos 12.6 54.2 30.7 66.8 955 81.2 46.0
Ogun 25.9 39.9 28.9 65.8 824 60.7 44.0
Ondo 22.0 26.8 22.9 48.8 350 54.9 46.9
Osun 22.9 40.3 35.0 63.2 389 63.7 55.3
Oyo 17.8 40.9 34.4 58.7 838 69.7 58.6
Continued…

22
 Table 9—Continued
Met need for family Total Percentage of demand
Unmet need planning (currently using) demand for satisfied1
Background for family Modern family Number of Modern
characteristic planning All methods methods2 planning3 women All methods methods2
Education
No education 20.6 7.4 6.3 28.1 11,559 26.5 22.6
Primary 22.7 20.6 16.3 43.3 3,204 47.6 37.5
Secondary 22.3 29.9 22.5 52.2 8,292 57.2 43.1
More than secondary 17.1 41.3 28.0 58.4 3,209 70.7 47.9
Wealth quintile
Lowest 20.5 6.0 5.1 26.5 5,494 22.5 19.4
Second 21.2 9.7 8.1 30.9 5,552 31.3 26.1
Middle 23.5 18.7 14.6 42.2 5,133 44.4 34.7
Fourth 22.7 29.9 23.0 52.6 4,882 56.9 43.8
Highest 17.2 39.2 27.2 56.4 5,203 69.5 48.1
Total 21.0 20.3 15.3 41.3 26,264 49.1 37.1
SEXUALLY ACTIVE UNMARRIED WOMEN4
Residence
Urban 33.2 52.4 39.1 85.6 1,004 61.2 45.7
Rural 42.0 44.1 34.2 86.2 505 51.2 39.7
Total 36.2 49.6 37.5 85.8 1,510 57.8 43.7

Note: Numbers in this table correspond to the revised definition of unmet need described in Bradley et al. 2012.
1
Percentage of demand satisfied is met need divided by total demand.
2
Modern methods include female sterilisation, male sterilisation, IUD, injectables, implants, pill, male condom, female condom,
emergency contraception, standard days method, lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM), and other modern methods.
3
Total demand is the sum of unmet need and met need.
4
Women who have had sexual intercourse within 30 days preceding the survey

Trends: The total demand for family planning among currently married women has increased over time,
from 28% in 1990 to 41% in 2023–24 (Figure 2). Unmet need has remained about the same over time
(22% in 1990 and 21% in 2023–24).

3.7 EARLY CHILDHOOD MORTALITY

Neonatal mortality: The probability of dying within the first month of life.
Postneonatal mortality: The probability of dying between the first month of
life and the first birthday (computed as the difference between infant and
neonatal mortality).
Infant mortality: The probability of dying between birth and the first birthday.
Child mortality: The probability of dying between the first and the fifth
birthday.
Under-5 mortality: The probability of dying between birth and the fifth
birthday.

Table 10 presents estimates of childhood mortality for three successive 5-year periods prior to the 2023–
24 NDHS. The rates were estimated directly from information collected as part of a retrospective
pregnancy history in which female respondents listed all of the children to whom they have given birth,
along with each child’s date of birth, survivorship status, and current age or age at death.

▪ During the 5 years immediately preceding the survey, the neonatal mortality rate was 41 deaths per
1,000 live births. This means that approximately 1 out of every 25 infants die within the first month of
life.

▪ The infant mortality rate was 63 deaths per 1,000 live births. This means that 1 out of every 16
children die in the first year of life.

▪ The under-5 mortality rate was 110 deaths per 1,000 live births. This means that 1 out of every 9
children die before their fifth birthday.

23
 Table 10 Early childhood mortality rates
Neonatal, post-neonatal, infant, child and under-5 mortality rates for 5-year periods preceding the
survey, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Post-
Neonatal neonatal Infant Child Under-5
mortality mortality mortality mortality mortality
Years preceding the survey (NN) (PNN)1 (1q0) (4q1) (5q0)
0–4 41 22 63 50 110
5–9 35 20 55 43 96
10–14 30 22 52 50 100

1
Computed as the difference between the infant and neonatal mortality rates

Table 11 shows 10-year childhood mortality rates according to background characteristics.

▪ Neonatal, postneonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality rates during the 10 years preceding the survey
were highest in the North West zone and lowest in the South West zone.

▪ Among the states, Kano had the highest neonatal mortality rate (59 deaths per 1,000 live births), Kebbi
had the highest postneonatal (41 deaths per 1,000 live births) and infant (90 deaths per 1,000 live
births) mortality rates, Yobe had the highest child mortality rate (96 deaths per 1,000 live births), and
Jigawa had the highest under-5 mortality rate (161 deaths per 1,000 live births).

Table 11 Ten-year early childhood mortality rates according to background

characteristics
Neonatal, postneonatal, infant, child, and under-5 mortality rates for the 10-year period
preceding the survey, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Post-
Neonatal neonatal Infant Child Under-5
Background mortality mortality mortality mortality mortality
characteristic (NN) (PNN)1 (1q0) (4q1) (5q0)
Zone
North Central 28 14 42 24 65
North East 40 26 66 65 127
North West 48 28 76 69 140
South East 33 15 48 24 70
South South 25 11 36 14 50
South West 24 8 33 9 42
North Central
FCT-Abuja 25 10 35 26 60
Benue 19 15 34 20 53
Kogi 39 20 59 21 78
Kwara 12 1 12 2 14
Nasarawa 50 20 70 38 106
Niger 22 10 31 18 49
Plateau 31 28 59 42 98
North East
Adamawa 43 33 75 75 144
Bauchi 48 28 77 52 125
Borno 30 18 48 39 86
Gombe 45 36 81 83 157
Taraba 38 26 64 66 126
Yobe 34 20 54 96 145
North West
Jigawa 53 28 81 87 161
Kaduna 47 39 85 74 153
Kano 59 26 86 79 158
Katsina 42 21 63 45 105
Kebbi 49 41 90 75 159
Sokoto 28 28 56 57 109
Zamfara 42 18 60 62 119
South East
Abia 27 23 49 21 69
Anambra 32 17 50 24 72
Ebonyi 26 16 42 28 68
Enugu 25 9 34 16 49
Imo 51 12 62 24 85
Continued…

24
 Table 11—Continued
Post-
Neonatal neonatal Infant Child Under-5
Background mortality mortality mortality mortality mortality
characteristic (NN) (PNN)1 (1q0) (4q1) (5q0)
South South
Akwa Ibom 38 17 56 25 80
Bayelsa 32 24 56 18 73
Cross River 24 15 39 22 60
Delta 19 7 26 7 33
Edo 7 6 13 6 19
Rivers 30 9 39 15 54
South West
Ekiti 18 8 27 18 44
Lagos 25 11 36 11 46
Ogun 35 12 47 13 60
Ondo 3 5 8 7 15
Osun 36 14 49 6 55
Oyo 17 1 18 5 23
Mother’s education
No education 41 27 68 67 130
Primary 38 25 63 48 108
Secondary 37 15 52 25 76
More than secondary 25 9 34 10 43
Wealth quintile
Lowest 41 30 72 73 140
Second 42 29 71 70 136
Middle 37 17 54 41 93
Fourth 36 14 50 21 70
Highest 29 10 39 11 49

1
Computed as the difference between the infant and neonatal mortality rates

Trends: The under-5 mortality rate for the 5-year Figure 3 Trends in early childhood
period preceding each survey rose from 193 deaths mortality rates
per 1,000 live births in the 1990 NDHS to 201 deaths Deaths per 1,000 live births in the 5-year
per 1,000 live births in the 2003 NDHS and has since period preceding the survey
generally decreased, to 110 deaths per 1,000 live
births in the 2023–24 NDHS. The infant mortality 193 201 Under-5 mortality
rate declined from 87 deaths per 1,000 live births in 157
the 1990 NDHS to 63 deaths per 1,000 live births in Infant mortality 128 132
110
the 2023–24 NDHS. Neonatal mortality has 87
100
fluctuated over time but is now approximately the 75 69 67 63
Neonatal mortality
same as in the 1990 NDHS (42 deaths per 1,000 live
births in 1990 versus 41 deaths per 1,000 live births 42 48 40 37 39 41
in 2023–24) (Figure 3).
1990 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023–24
NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS
3.8 MATERNAL CARE

Proper care during pregnancy and delivery is important for the health of both the mother and the baby.
Table 12 presents key indicators related to maternal care.

3.8.1 Antenatal Care

Antenatal care from a skilled provider

Pregnancy care received from skilled providers, such as doctors and
nurses/midwives.
Sample: Women age 15–49 who had a live birth or stillbirth in the 2 years
before the survey

Antenatal care (ANC) from a skilled provider is important to monitor pregnancy and reduce morbidity and
mortality risks for the mother and child during pregnancy, at delivery, and during the postnatal period.

25
▪ Sixty-three percent of women reported receiving antenatal care from a skilled provider for their most
recent live birth in the 2-year period preceding the survey.

▪ One in two women (52%) had at least four ANC visits for their most recent live birth.

▪ Overall, 67% of women took iron-containing supplements during their most recent pregnancy.

Trends: The proportion of women with a live birth in the 2 years preceding the survey who received
antenatal care from a skilled provider increased from 57% in the 2008 NDHS to 67% in the 2018 NDHS
before decreasing slightly to 63% in the 2023–24 NDHS.

3.8.2 Tetanus Toxoid

Protection against neonatal tetanus

The number of tetanus toxoid injections needed to protect a baby from
neonatal tetanus depends on the mother’s vaccinations. A birth is protected
against neonatal tetanus if the mother has received any of the following:
▪ Two tetanus toxoid injections during the pregnancy
▪ Two or more injections, the last one within 3 years of the birth
▪ Three or more injections, the last one within 5 years of the birth
▪ Four or more injections, the last one within 10 years of the birth
▪ Five or more injections at any time prior to the birth
Sample: Women age 15–49 with a live birth in the 2 years before the survey

Tetanus toxoid injections are given during pregnancy to prevent neonatal tetanus, a major cause of early
infant death in many countries. Neonatal tetanus is often caused by failure to observe hygienic procedures
during delivery.

▪ Overall, 58% of women with a live birth in the 2 years preceding the survey received sufficient doses
of tetanus toxoid to protect their baby against neonatal tetanus.

26
Table 12 Maternal care indicators
Among women age 15–49 who had a live birth and/or a stillbirth in the 2 years preceding the survey, percentage who received antenatal care (ANC) from a skilled
provider for the most recent live birth or stillbirth, percentage with four or more ANC visits for the most recent live birth or stillbirth, percentage who took any iron-
containing supplements during pregnancy, and percentage whose most recent live birth was protected against neonatal tetanus; among all live births and stillbirths
in the 2 years before the survey, percentage delivered by a skilled provider and percentage delivered in a health facility; among most recent live births in the 2
years preceding the survey, percentage with skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth; and among women age 15–49 with a live birth or stillbirth in the 2 years
preceding the survey, percentage who received a postnatal check during the first 2 days after giving birth, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS
2023–24
Women who had a
live birth and/or a
stillbirth in the
Women who had a live birth and/or a stillbirth Live births and stillbirths in the Among most recent 2 years preceding
in the 2 years preceding the survey 2 years preceding the survey live births the survey
Percent- Percent-
age who age
took any whose Percent- Percent-
Percent- iron- most age with age with a
age containing recent live Percent- skin-to- postnatal
receiving supple- birth was age Percent- skin check
antenatal Percent- ments protected delivered age contact during the
care from age with during against by a delivered immed- first 2
Background a skilled 4+ ANC preg- neonatal Number of skilled in a health Number of iately after Number of days after Number of
characteristic provider1 visits nancy2 tetanus 3
women provider 1
facility births birth live births birth4 women
LIVE BIRTHS
Mother’s age at
birth
<20 51.7 41.3 56.2 39.8 1,171 33.4 32.7 1,219 13.4 1,171 32.3 1,171
20–34 64.1 54.3 68.2 60.6 7,839 47.3 44.8 8,175 17.9 7,839 44.8 7,839
35–49 62.3 51.7 67.0 60.0 1,938 46.8 43.7 2,013 15.8 1,938 41.2 1,938
Residence
Urban 81.9 70.5 82.6 77.9 4,159 70.2 66.3 4,355 25.7 4,159 63.2 4,159
Rural 50.6 41.3 57.0 46.3 6,790 30.6 29.1 7,052 11.7 6,790 30.3 6,790
Zone
North Central 62.2 50.3 54.7 52.0 1,731 54.6 49.7 1,799 12.2 1,731 53.4 1,731
North East 60.7 50.6 73.7 64.7 2,237 32.3 37.2 2,347 24.1 2,237 36.3 2,237
North West 49.0 40.6 58.3 42.1 4,312 25.6 21.9 4,457 14.5 4,312 24.9 4,312
South East 88.5 73.6 78.5 86.3 745 88.1 86.7 799 13.5 745 63.1 745
South South 81.6 67.1 83.4 81.2 831 76.6 64.8 870 20.2 831 66.5 831
South West 87.6 80.8 84.0 82.7 1,092 84.9 82.5 1,135 20.2 1,092 78.5 1,092
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 91.8 79.9 90.6 87.4 149 82.4 81.3 158 32.8 149 82.3 149
Benue 65.9 49.1 63.9 59.6 214 66.7 59.0 221 7.3 214 56.2 214
Kogi 62.6 54.1 54.9 51.9 170 61.1 62.2 179 10.1 170 55.8 170
Kwara 55.9 51.3 37.7 52.1 175 55.3 51.5 178 7.1 175 57.0 175
Nasarawa 84.4 66.0 79.7 67.7 250 69.2 55.7 265 21.1 250 68.4 250
Niger 40.4 34.7 32.1 34.2 505 33.7 30.2 520 6.6 505 32.6 505
Plateau 66.7 46.4 57.5 45.1 269 50.1 45.7 278 11.3 269 56.3 269
North East
Adamawa 34.7 56.4 79.0 70.0 269 24.4 41.6 288 16.7 269 50.6 269
Bauchi 57.2 46.6 61.6 57.6 730 28.4 31.1 765 27.4 730 23.9 730
Borno 69.0 61.1 82.7 78.7 424 37.7 45.9 451 20.2 424 47.5 424
Gombe 60.7 39.1 82.1 67.7 208 37.9 48.5 216 41.5 208 44.9 208
Taraba 66.3 50.5 70.7 54.8 226 33.8 33.0 234 15.6 226 34.4 226
Yobe 73.2 48.5 80.2 63.4 380 35.4 32.1 393 22.7 380 33.9 380
North West
Jigawa 76.0 37.7 77.7 59.8 507 24.6 21.4 526 22.2 507 43.9 507
Kaduna 70.0 59.4 68.9 50.5 855 35.6 25.9 881 21.9 855 22.5 855
Kano 49.5 51.3 72.1 54.3 1,134 36.3 32.7 1,173 15.3 1,134 32.8 1,134
Katsina 49.2 37.2 57.5 36.4 644 19.1 15.8 671 10.4 644 19.4 644
Kebbi 12.0 14.0 20.6 11.1 369 9.6 8.8 382 6.0 369 11.3 369
Sokoto 26.4 22.7 31.5 26.7 408 12.4 12.5 414 7.6 408 11.6 408
Zamfara 24.8 21.5 35.2 20.0 395 13.2 15.3 410 8.0 395 18.1 395
South East
Abia 93.9 79.1 93.2 88.9 82 95.2 86.0 89 13.4 82 66.4 82
Anambra 89.1 84.9 74.8 83.8 145 91.8 83.2 160 4.8 145 73.2 145
Ebonyi 80.1 61.7 72.9 82.8 245 73.6 79.4 260 14.7 245 55.9 245
Enugu 89.7 61.9 73.3 85.8 98 96.3 92.6 104 28.0 98 65.8 98
Imo 96.5 84.9 85.1 92.5 174 97.2 97.0 185 10.9 174 61.7 174
South South
Akwa Ibom 80.6 65.7 69.6 71.2 119 51.5 38.6 125 15.7 119 60.4 119
Bayelsa 68.3 48.6 82.5 75.4 69 56.7 46.1 73 15.0 69 43.4 69
Cross River 67.8 80.0 92.7 86.2 92 56.2 58.8 95 14.9 92 74.6 92
Delta 86.2 60.5 89.9 81.5 210 81.4 83.0 219 13.4 210 76.2 210
Edo 96.3 63.0 93.5 83.1 116 92.8 90.9 121 15.3 116 86.1 116
Rivers 80.0 76.5 75.7 84.8 225 91.6 56.9 237 35.2 225 54.3 225
Continued…

27
Table 12—Continued
Women who had a
live birth and/or a
stillbirth in the
Women who had a live birth and/or a stillbirth Live births and stillbirths in the Among most recent 2 years preceding
in the 2 years preceding the survey 2 years preceding the survey live births the survey
Percent- Percent-
age who age
took any whose Percent- Percent-
Percent- iron- most age with age with a
age containing recent live Percent- skin-to- postnatal
receiving supple- birth was age Percent- skin check
antenatal Percent- ments protected delivered age contact during the
care from age with during against by a delivered immed- first 2
Background a skilled 4+ ANC preg- neonatal Number of skilled in a health Number of iately after Number of days after Number of
characteristic provider1 visits nancy2 tetanus3 women provider1 facility births birth live births birth4 women
South West
Ekiti 89.9 68.6 89.3 74.3 52 93.5 81.7 57 8.5 52 77.5 52
Lagos 92.9 95.4 92.1 91.8 291 86.6 85.8 313 28.7 291 87.3 291
Ogun 85.9 73.7 88.4 82.1 270 82.6 83.3 279 14.5 270 81.0 270
Ondo 79.8 66.3 70.3 65.8 101 76.3 83.2 104 40.4 101 75.9 101
Osun 93.1 92.0 77.0 84.7 133 91.7 86.7 135 8.1 133 75.3 133
Oyo 83.0 73.8 77.7 80.3 245 83.2 75.0 248 17.0 245 68.3 245
Mother’s
education
No education 40.7 31.7 48.3 37.4 5,012 18.5 18.4 5,187 9.5 5,012 22.1 5,012
Primary 66.1 54.2 72.3 60.6 1,268 43.2 38.9 1,329 16.5 1,268 37.3 1,268
Secondary 81.7 70.8 82.9 77.0 3,573 70.3 65.0 3,731 22.4 3,573 61.6 3,573
More than
secondary 95.3 85.3 91.9 90.5 1,096 91.2 89.8 1,161 34.2 1,096 82.7 1,096
Wealth quintile
Lowest 36.9 27.4 45.2 36.5 2,683 16.2 17.9 2,788 10.3 2,683 22.0 2,683
Second 49.7 40.7 57.6 44.5 2,489 25.0 25.3 2,576 10.0 2,489 25.5 2,489
Middle 65.4 53.7 70.6 60.1 2,159 46.6 41.5 2,245 16.0 2,159 43.0 2,159
Fourth 83.4 72.8 82.9 76.6 1,955 71.5 63.6 2,050 22.8 1,955 60.4 1,955
Highest 94.4 84.8 90.9 90.2 1,662 91.7 88.8 1,748 32.7 1,662 81.5 1,662
Total 62.5 52.4 66.7 58.3 10,948 45.7 43.3 11,407 17.0 10,948 42.8 10,948
STILLBIRTHS
Total 63.9 49.0 70.2 na 230 53.1 51.1 238 na na 44.7 230
LIVE BIRTHS AND STILLBIRTHS5
Total 62.5 52.3 66.7 na 11,129 45.9 43.4 11,646 17.0 10,948 42.9 11,129

Note: If more than one source of assistance was mentioned, only the provider with the highest qualifications is considered in this tabulation. Stillbirths are foetal
deaths in pregnancies lasting 28 or more weeks. When pregnancy duration is reported in months, stillbirths are foetal deaths in pregnancies lasting 7 or more
months.
na = not applicable
1
Skilled provider includes doctor and nurse/midwife.
2
Iron tablets and syrup
3
Includes mothers with two injections during the pregnancy of their most recent live birth, or two or more injections (the last within 3 years of the most recent live
birth), or three or more injections (the last within 5 years of the most recent live birth), or four or more injections (the last within 10 years of the most recent live
birth), or five or more injections at any time prior to the last live birth
4
Includes women who received a check from a doctor, midwife, nurse, community health worker, or traditional birth attendant
5
For women who had both a live birth and a stillbirth in the 2 years preceding the survey, data on antenatal care and postnatal checks are tabulated for the most
recent birth only.

Trends: The percentage of women whose most recent live birth was protected against neonatal tetanus
increased from 47% in 2008 to 62% in 2018 before declining slightly to 58% in 2023–24.

3.8.3 Delivery Care

Institutional deliveries
Deliveries that occur in a health facility.
Sample: All live births and/or stillbirths in the 2 years before the survey

Skilled assistance during delivery

Births delivered with the assistance of doctors and nurses/midwives.
Sample: All live births and/or stillbirths in the 2 years before the survey

28
Access to proper medical attention and hygienic conditions during delivery can reduce the risk of
complications and infections that could lead to death or serious illness for the mother, baby, or both (Van
Lerberghe and De Brouwere 2001; WHO 2006a).

▪ Forty-three percent of live births and 51% of stillbirths in the 2 years preceding the survey were
delivered in health facilities.

▪ Forty-six percent of live births and 53% of stillbirths were delivered with assistance from skilled
providers.

▪ Seventeen percent of live births in the 2 years preceding the survey had skin-to-skin contact
immediately after birth.

3.8.4 Postnatal Care for the Mother

A large proportion of maternal and neonatal deaths occur during the first 48 hours after delivery. Thus,
prompt postnatal care (PNC) for both the mother and the child is important to treat any complications
arising from the delivery, as well as to provide the mother with important information on how to care for
herself and her child. Safe motherhood programmes recommend that all women receive a check of their
health during the first 2 days after delivery.

▪ Overall, 43% of women with a live birth in the 2 years preceding the survey received a postnatal check
within 2 days after delivery. The percentage was 45% among those with a stillbirth.

▪ The percentage of women who received timely postnatal care increases with increasing household
wealth, from 22% in the lowest wealth quintile to 82% in the highest wealth quintile.

Trends: ANC provided to women Figure 4 Trends in maternal care indicators

by a skilled provider in the 2-year Percentage of women who had a live birth or stillbirth in
period preceding the survey has the 2 years preceding the survey
gone through periods of rising and
falling since 1990. From the 1990
NDHS to the 2008 NDHS, ANC by 67
61 63 ANC by a
a skilled provider in the previous 2 59 58 57 skilled provider
years fell slightly from 59% of 45 46 Delivery by a
women who had a live birth or 37 40 40 skilled provider*
32
stillbirth to 57% of women, 40 42 43 Postnatal check
during first 2
respectively. It then rose by 10% to 30 days after birth
67% of women receiving ANC in
the 2018 NDHS. In the 2023–24
NDHS, it fell slightly to 63% of 1990 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023–24
women who had a live birth or NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS
stillbirth receiving ANC from a *Percentage of live births or stillbirths in the 2 years preceding the survey
skilled provider. The percentage of
live births with skilled assistance during delivery increased steadily from 32% in the 1990 NDHS to 46%
in the 2023–24 NDHS (Figure 4). The percentage of women receiving a postnatal check during the first 2
days after delivery has also increased steadily over time, from 30% in 2008 to 43% in 2023–24.

3.8.5 Postnatal Care for the Newborn

Proper care for newborns is essential in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality. The first 48 hours of
life are critical, as most neonatal deaths occur within that period (WHO 2015). Postnatal care for newborns
should start as soon as possible after birth.

29
Table 13 presents data on postnatal checks for newborns. About two in five (42%) newborns received a
postnatal check within the first 2 days after birth. Only 13% of newborns had a postnatal check within the
first hour of life.

▪ The percentage of newborns receiving a postnatal check during the first 2 days after birth decreases
with increasing birth order, from 53% among first births to 29% among sixth- and higher-order births.

▪ Eighty-one percent of babies born to mothers with more than a secondary education received a
postnatal check within the first 2 days after birth, as compared with only 22% of those born to mothers
with no education.

Table 13 Timing of first postnatal check for the newborn

Percent distribution of most recent live births in the 2 years preceding the survey by time after birth of first postnatal check, and percentage of
births with a postnatal check during the first 2 days after birth, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percent-
age of
births with
a
postnatal
check
Time after delivery of newborn’s first postnatal check1 No during the
Background Less than 1–3 4–23 1–2 3–6 Don’t postnatal first 2 days Number of
characteristic 1 hour hours hours days days know check2 Total after birth1 births
Mother’s age at birth
<20 11.6 15.1 3.3 2.8 0.6 0.3 66.3 100.0 32.8 1,171
20–34 13.3 23.4 4.4 2.9 0.6 0.4 54.9 100.0 44.1 7,839
35–49 11.8 22.4 3.8 2.7 0.8 0.7 57.8 100.0 40.8 1,938
Birth order3
1 14.6 28.6 5.8 3.7 0.6 0.6 46.2 100.0 52.6 2,240
2–3 14.0 23.9 4.9 3.0 0.6 0.6 53.0 100.0 45.8 3,771
4–5 12.7 21.2 3.5 2.5 0.5 0.3 59.3 100.0 39.9 2,621
6+ 9.5 15.2 2.5 2.3 0.8 0.3 69.5 100.0 29.4 2,316
Place of delivery
Health facility 21.4 43.9 7.8 2.6 0.4 0.9 23.0 100.0 75.7 4,678
Elsewhere 6.5 6.3 1.5 3.1 0.8 0.1 81.7 100.0 17.4 6,270
Residence
Urban 17.2 34.5 6.7 3.6 0.8 0.8 36.3 100.0 62.1 4,159
Rural 10.2 14.9 2.7 2.4 0.5 0.3 69.0 100.0 30.2 6,790
Zone
North Central 19.3 26.4 5.9 2.0 0.2 0.3 45.9 100.0 53.7 1,731
North East 9.2 19.7 3.4 3.0 0.8 0.0 63.8 100.0 35.4 2,237
North West 11.6 8.4 1.7 2.2 0.4 0.2 75.5 100.0 23.9 4,312
South East 8.5 37.2 11.5 4.6 1.0 0.3 36.8 100.0 61.8 745
South South 10.7 44.7 5.6 6.1 1.6 2.0 29.4 100.0 67.1 831
South West 19.9 49.4 6.9 3.0 0.6 1.6 18.6 100.0 79.2 1,092
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 59.2 22.5 2.4 2.6 0.0 0.0 13.3 100.0 86.7 149
Benue 2.0 36.0 14.4 4.3 0.0 0.9 42.4 100.0 56.7 214
Kogi 3.3 38.0 12.7 1.3 0.8 0.3 43.5 100.0 55.3 170
Kwara 0.3 51.7 5.0 1.1 0.6 0.5 40.8 100.0 58.1 175
Nasarawa 16.4 40.6 5.5 2.8 0.0 0.3 34.5 100.0 65.2 250
Niger 15.7 15.7 2.8 1.1 0.0 0.3 64.5 100.0 35.2 505
Plateau 43.0 4.3 3.5 2.1 0.1 0.0 47.0 100.0 52.9 269
North East
Adamawa 17.9 32.9 5.2 2.9 0.3 0.0 40.8 100.0 58.9 269
Bauchi 4.2 11.6 2.4 1.9 1.6 0.1 78.3 100.0 20.1 730
Borno 15.4 22.3 2.3 5.0 0.7 0.0 54.3 100.0 45.0 424
Gombe 1.6 34.8 6.1 3.9 0.5 0.0 53.0 100.0 46.5 208
Taraba 14.6 13.9 1.7 2.1 0.0 0.0 67.7 100.0 32.3 226
Yobe 6.9 18.4 4.7 3.0 0.4 0.0 66.6 100.0 33.0 380
North West
Jigawa 32.3 6.3 0.6 2.2 0.6 0.0 58.0 100.0 41.4 507
Kaduna 8.4 8.7 4.6 1.9 0.1 0.2 76.2 100.0 23.6 855
Kano 13.1 13.4 1.1 2.5 0.7 0.3 68.9 100.0 30.1 1,134
Katsina 9.8 5.2 0.7 1.8 0.0 0.3 82.3 100.0 17.5 644
Kebbi 3.0 7.5 2.2 1.6 1.5 0.0 84.3 100.0 14.2 369
Sokoto 5.6 3.8 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.0 89.8 100.0 10.2 408
Zamfara 4.5 6.8 1.4 5.4 0.5 0.0 81.5 100.0 18.1 395

Continued…

30
 Table 13—Continued
Percent-
age of
births with
a
postnatal
check
Time after delivery of newborn’s first postnatal check1 No during the
Background Less than 1–3 4–23 1–2 3–6 Don’t postnatal first 2 days Number of
characteristic 1 hour hours hours days days know check2 Total after birth1 births
South East
Abia 3.8 46.6 12.5 3.0 1.3 0.4 32.5 100.0 65.9 82
Anambra 14.4 41.4 9.8 5.6 3.3 0.0 25.5 100.0 71.2 145
Ebonyi 5.1 35.7 11.9 3.4 0.2 0.0 43.6 100.0 56.2 245
Enugu 9.5 35.1 11.9 6.1 0.7 0.9 35.9 100.0 62.5 98
Imo 10.1 32.6 11.7 5.1 0.3 0.8 39.4 100.0 59.5 174

South South
Akwa Ibom 8.8 29.6 6.9 23.9 3.6 0.5 26.7 100.0 69.2 119
Bayelsa 7.3 29.5 2.9 2.3 0.0 2.9 55.1 100.0 42.0 69
Cross River 12.9 56.9 2.3 4.3 1.9 0.0 21.7 100.0 76.4 92
Delta 20.0 42.7 6.9 2.8 0.0 5.8 21.8 100.0 72.4 210
Edo 8.2 67.7 6.5 5.3 0.5 1.2 10.6 100.0 87.6 116
Rivers 4.3 42.5 5.4 2.1 3.1 0.0 42.7 100.0 54.2 225
South West
Ekiti 30.6 45.4 1.2 1.2 0.0 0.6 21.0 100.0 78.4 52
Lagos 25.5 50.1 9.5 1.3 0.9 2.5 10.1 100.0 86.5 291
Ogun 23.3 47.5 7.1 3.9 0.8 1.2 16.2 100.0 81.7 270
Ondo 26.0 43.7 3.1 1.2 0.0 1.5 24.5 100.0 74.0 101
Osun 9.2 52.6 9.4 5.4 1.5 0.0 22.0 100.0 76.5 133
Oyo 10.3 52.1 5.0 3.9 0.0 2.2 26.4 100.0 71.5 245
Mother’s education
No education 8.6 10.0 1.3 2.1 0.4 0.1 77.4 100.0 22.1 5,012
Primary 13.4 18.3 3.2 2.9 0.3 0.4 61.5 100.0 37.8 1,268
Secondary 15.9 33.7 7.4 3.5 0.9 0.7 38.0 100.0 60.4 3,573
More than secondary 21.8 46.7 8.1 4.4 1.1 1.2 16.6 100.0 81.0 1,096
Wealth quintile
Lowest 9.0 9.9 1.6 2.0 0.5 0.0 77.0 100.0 22.5 2,683
Second 9.4 11.6 2.6 2.3 0.4 0.3 73.5 100.0 25.9 2,489
Middle 13.4 22.7 3.5 3.2 0.4 0.3 56.4 100.0 42.8 2,159
Fourth 16.0 31.7 6.8 3.7 0.9 0.5 40.5 100.0 58.1 1,955
Highest 19.9 47.2 8.8 3.7 1.1 1.6 17.6 100.0 79.7 1,662
Total 12.9 22.4 4.2 2.9 0.6 0.5 56.6 100.0 42.3 10,948

1
Includes newborns who received a check from a doctor, nurse/midwife, community health extension worker, auxiliary midwife, community
health influencers, promoters, and services (CHIPS)/ community health worker / fieldworker, or traditional birth attendant
2
Includes newborns who received a check after the first week of life
3
Birth order refers to the order of the birth among the respondent’s live births.

3.9 BIRTH REGISTRATION

Registered birth
Child has a birth certificate or child does not have a birth certificate, but the
birth is registered with the civil authorities.
Sample: De jure children under age 5

According to the Births and Deaths (Compulsory Registration) Act Number 69 of 1992, registration of
births and deaths is compulsory in all cases in Nigeria.

Table 14 presents data on birth registration among children under age 5. At the time of the survey, 40% of
children under age 5 were registered with the civil authorities (31% of children under age 2 and 42% of
children between age 2 and age 4). Twenty-eight percent of children had birth certificates.

▪ Almost three in five (59%) urban children under age 5 had their births registered, as compared with
only 27% of their rural counterparts.

▪ Birth registration increases with increasing household wealth, from 12% in the lowest wealth quintile
to 77% in the highest wealth quintile.

31
Table 14 Birth registration of children under age 5
Percentage of de jure children under age 5 whose births are registered with the civil authorities,
according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Total
Percentage of children whose
percentage of
births are registered and who:
children whose
Background Had a birth Did not have a births are Number of
characteristic certificate birth certificate registered children
Age
<1 22.4 8.9 31.2 5,296
1–4 28.7 13.0 41.6 22,719
Sex
Male 27.9 12.1 40.0 14,331
Female 27.0 12.3 39.3 13,684
Residence
Urban 42.2 16.9 59.1 10,919
Rural 18.1 9.2 27.3 17,096
Zone
North Central 23.5 9.2 32.7 10,889
North East 18.4 9.6 28.0 5,464
North West 25.7 10.8 36.5 4,724
South East 30.6 26.7 57.3 2,053
South South 37.8 21.3 59.2 2,125
South West 54.1 13.6 67.7 2,760
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 41.4 29.3 70.6 401
Benue 32.7 5.2 37.8 578
Kogi 17.5 9.7 27.2 430
Kwara 24.7 12.0 36.6 501
Nasarawa 42.9 9.0 51.9 638
Niger 17.6 9.7 27.3 1,485
Plateau 18.2 8.8 27.0 691
North East
Adamawa 20.6 18.7 39.3 668
Bauchi 16.5 8.3 24.8 1,635
Borno 24.2 4.7 28.9 1,109
Gombe 18.2 15.5 33.7 514
Taraba 14.4 16.7 31.1 592
Yobe 15.7 3.7 19.4 945
North West
Jigawa 11.9 3.8 15.7 1,220
Kaduna 19.1 6.6 25.7 1,959
Kano 35.9 14.8 50.7 2,857
Katsina 31.4 8.8 40.2 1,811
Kebbi 6.6 12.2 18.8 887
Sokoto 14.2 4.8 19.0 1,051
Zamfara 21.4 7.7 29.1 1,104
South East
Abia 28.0 27.9 55.9 225
Anambra 50.8 12.0 62.9 400
Ebonyi 11.3 31.9 43.2 678
Enugu 34.6 45.4 80.1 317
Imo 40.6 17.6 58.2 433
South South
Akwa Ibom 36.0 12.0 48.0 295
Bayelsa 31.0 18.1 49.1 179
Cross River 33.7 10.6 44.3 228
Delta 33.2 29.2 62.4 541
Edo 30.8 31.6 62.5 307
Rivers 50.7 18.5 69.2 574
South West
Ekiti 40.1 17.8 57.9 131
Lagos 54.3 23.7 78.1 688
Ogun 45.9 7.9 53.9 691
Ondo 67.8 9.8 77.6 271
Osun 69.7 11.3 81.1 341
Oyo 51.3 10.8 62.2 638
Wealth quintile
Lowest 8.0 4.3 12.3 6,796
Second 16.3 8.2 24.5 6,286
Middle 27.9 14.2 42.1 5,689
Fourth 44.3 17.4 61.6 4,921
Highest 54.8 21.9 76.7 4,323
Total 27.5 12.2 39.7 28,015

32
3.10 VACCINATION COVERAGE

Universal immunisation of children against common vaccine-preventable diseases is crucial in reducing

infant and child morbidity and mortality. In Nigeria, routine childhood vaccines include bacille Calmette-
Guérin (BCG) (tuberculosis), HepB (hepatitis B), oral polio vaccine (OPV) or inactivated polio vaccine
(IPV), pentavalent or DPT-HepB-Hib (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus; hepatitis B; and Haemophilus
influenzae type b), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), rotavirus vaccine (RV), yellow fever,
meningitis, and measles. The rotavirus vaccine was introduced into the routine immunisation schedule on
22 August 2022 in a phased rollout in the 19 northern states, followed by a phased rollout in the 17
southern states in October 2022 (Ukazu 2022).

Information on vaccination coverage was obtained in two ways in the 2023–24 NDHS: from written
vaccination records, including vaccination or health cards, and from verbal reports.

3.10.1 Basic Antigen Coverage

Fully vaccinated: basic antigens

Percentage of children who received specific vaccines at any time before the
survey (according to a vaccination card or the mother’s report). To have
received all basic antigens, a child must receive at least:
▪ One dose of BCG vaccine, which protects against tuberculosis
▪ Three doses of polio vaccine given as oral polio vaccine (OPV),
inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), or a combination of OPV and IPV
▪ Three doses of DPT-containing vaccine, which protects against diphtheria,
pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus
▪ One dose of measles-containing vaccine given as measles
Sample: Children age 12–23 months

Historically, an important measure of vaccination coverage has been the proportion of children receiving
all “basic” antigens. Children are considered fully vaccinated against all basic antigens if they have
received the BCG vaccine, three doses each of polio vaccine and DPT-containing vaccine, and a single
dose of measles-containing vaccine. In Nigeria, the BCG vaccine is usually given at birth or at first clinic
contact, while the polio and DPT-containing vaccines are given at approximately age 6, 10, and 14 weeks.
A first measles-containing vaccination should be given at or soon after age 9 months.

Table 15 presents vaccination coverage among children age 12–23 months and 24–35 months by
background characteristics.

▪ Sixty-seven percent of children age 12–23 months received the BCG vaccine, 53% received the third
dose of DPT-HepB-Hib, 46% received the third dose of OPV, and 51% received a dose of measles
vaccine.

▪ Overall, 39% of children age 12–23 months are fully vaccinated with basic antigens.

33
Trends: The percentage of children age 12–23 Figure 5 Trends in childhood
months who have received all of the basic antigens vaccinations
has increased gradually over time, from 13% in 2003 Percentage of children age 12–23 months
to 39% in 2023–24 (Figure 5).

3.10.2 Vaccination Coverage according to

National Schedule No vaccinations
Fully vaccinated
(basic antigens)
39
36 31
A second measure of vaccination coverage is the 27 29 25
percentage of children age 12–23 months and 24–35 31
29 23
months who are fully vaccinated according to the 13 21 19
national schedule. In this report, a child age 12–23
1990 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023–24
months is considered to be fully vaccinated NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS
according to the national schedule if the child has
received all basic antigens as well as a birth dose of OPV, a birth dose of HepB vaccine, two doses of IPV,
three doses of HepB and Hib (given as part of DPT-containing vaccine), three doses of the pneumococcal
vaccine, one dose of yellow fever vaccine, and one dose of meningitis vaccine. Since the rotavirus vaccine
was rolled out in phases in August and October 2022, not all eligible children had access to the vaccine at
the time of the survey. Therefore, estimates of the percentages of children fully vaccinated according to the
national schedule exclude rotavirus. Children age 24–35 months are considered fully vaccinated according
to the national schedule if they receive a second dose of the measles vaccine in addition to all of the
vaccinations relevant for a child age 12–23 months.

▪ Forty-three percent of children age 12–23 months received the second dose of IPV, 53% received the
third dose of PCV, 18% received the third dose of rotavirus vaccine, 49% received a dose of yellow
fever vaccine, and 48% received a dose of meningitis vaccine.

▪ One in five (20%) children age 12–23 months are fully vaccinated according to the national schedule.

▪ Eleven percent of children age 24–35 months are fully vaccinated according to the national schedule.

▪ Thirty-one percent of children age 12–23 months have received no vaccinations.

34
Table 15 Vaccinations by background characteristics
Percentage of children age 12–23 months and children age 24–35 months who received specific vaccines at any time before the survey (according to a vaccination card or the mother’s report), percentage fully vaccinated (basic
antigens), percentage fully vaccinated according to the national schedule, and percentage who received no vaccinations, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Children age
24–35
Children age 12–23 months months
Fully Fully
vac- vac-
cin- cin-
ated ated
Fully ac- ac-
vac- cord- cord-
cin- ing to ing to
DPT-HepB-Hib OPV2 Pneumococcal ated na- No Num- na- Num-
HepB (basic tional vac- ber of tional ber of
Background (birth Rotavi Rotavi Rotavi Mea- Yellow Men- anti- sched- cin- chil- Mea- sched- chil-
characteristic BCG dose)1 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 IPV 1 IPV 2 1 2 3 rus 1 rus 2 rus 3 sles 1 fever ingitis gens)3 ule4 ations dren sles 2 ule5 dren
Sex
Male 66.2 58.2 62.0 59.2 53.1 57.3 63.9 57.7 45.8 54.5 42.3 62.0 59.0 53.3 54.7 42.1 18.1 51.1 49.4 47.7 39.6 20.3 31.3 2,604 30.0 11.5 2,348
Female 67.3 57.9 63.9 60.4 53.8 56.5 65.8 58.1 45.5 56.3 43.8 64.0 60.3 53.3 55.9 42.5 18.6 51.6 49.5 47.3 39.1 19.3 30.6 2,517 30.6 11.0 2,333
Birth order
1 67.7 61.0 64.2 60.3 54.7 58.8 65.5 57.5 44.1 57.8 44.9 63.8 59.8 53.9 56.1 42.7 19.1 53.3 50.9 49.4 39.1 21.0 29.9 1,084 36.4 14.8 949
2–3 68.9 61.4 65.6 62.2 55.6 60.1 67.2 59.8 46.8 57.8 46.0 65.6 61.9 55.1 58.0 44.5 19.7 54.2 52.6 50.4 42.1 22.3 29.0 1,777 32.1 12.3 1,698
4–5 65.3 55.8 62.2 59.3 53.6 55.9 64.3 57.8 46.0 54.4 41.4 62.2 59.1 53.8 54.1 40.9 18.3 51.7 49.6 48.2 38.2 18.3 32.0 1,219 26.9 9.8 1,096
6+ 63.4 52.0 57.7 55.8 48.4 50.6 60.8 55.3 44.8 50.1 38.0 58.6 56.2 48.9 51.4 39.7 15.4 44.2 42.3 40.0 36.3 16.2 34.1 1,040 24.9 7.4 937
Vaccination card6
Seen 98.6 82.4 94.5 89.7 84.1 85.0 95.7 90.2 81.4 80.5 64.2 95.5 90.6 85.3 83.1 61.9 28.5 77.0 75.3 72.4 71.7 36.2 0.1 2,572 47.3 25.7 1,608
Not seen or no
longer has 93.4 90.9 85.7 82.4 62.7 78.5 86.1 64.6 23.5 82.7 59.3 84.1 79.7 59.5 76.5 63.6 22.6 70.6 65.3 62.5 19.4 9.4 5.1 863 49.1 8.5 1,264
Never had 4.3 4.1 3.0 2.6 1.9 2.9 6.8 5.3 2.5 3.1 2.4 2.5 2.2 1.2 2.0 1.4 0.6 2.4 1.9 1.9 0.2 0.1 91.2 1,686 2.0 0.3 1,808
Residence
Urban 82.0 74.0 77.7 73.7 65.4 73.1 78.9 69.3 53.1 70.3 55.7 78.0 73.3 65.4 68.3 51.7 23.0 63.9 61.6 59.0 47.7 28.4 16.6 2,043 41.8 16.2 1,901
Rural 56.5 47.5 53.1 50.5 45.5 46.1 55.5 50.4 40.7 45.5 34.6 53.0 50.5 45.3 46.7 36.0 15.2 43.1 41.4 39.9 33.8 14.2 40.4 3,078 22.4 7.9 2,780
Zone
North Central 63.5 59.5 60.4 56.7 48.2 57.6 60.2 51.8 38.7 49.5 38.3 59.3 55.7 47.7 53.4 41.3 18.1 44.3 42.7 40.2 30.1 15.3 34.9 818 23.3 7.6 827
North East 71.3 61.2 64.3 60.8 53.0 61.1 68.3 59.7 49.3 54.1 43.8 67.1 62.9 56.0 60.9 49.0 20.1 53.6 52.9 51.0 40.2 18.1 26.0 1,006 26.6 10.7 912
North West 50.2 38.9 46.1 43.4 39.7 40.0 49.1 44.5 37.0 40.8 27.9 46.1 43.3 39.6 39.9 29.8 13.5 37.2 34.9 33.6 31.6 12.2 46.6 1,948 20.8 5.5 1,724
South East 93.9 85.2 93.1 91.0 79.3 81.0 93.3 83.9 60.0 85.0 67.8 91.0 88.3 73.4 76.5 58.6 28.7 75.4 72.4 70.3 53.5 32.4 5.1 372 50.6 22.9 346
South South 87.5 81.1 87.2 85.0 79.6 74.0 87.8 80.4 62.9 82.9 65.1 86.8 84.8 78.7 74.4 56.2 20.7 77.7 74.2 72.5 60.7 36.4 10.2 425 55.8 22.2 378
South West 86.9 81.8 84.4 79.8 72.8 78.3 84.1 76.4 56.8 77.0 68.5 83.3 78.6 72.1 73.3 53.8 23.8 71.4 70.0 66.7 52.9 35.6 12.1 552 48.3 21.6 494
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 93.8 88.2 93.8 91.9 84.8 85.5 93.0 74.3 51.0 84.4 75.1 91.3 89.4 82.4 87.2 78.1 44.0 79.9 77.7 75.3 45.6 24.8 5.8 83 38.5 17.3 76
Benue 71.5 63.3 67.3 60.8 44.3 62.9 66.5 48.8 36.1 56.9 39.1 63.7 56.3 41.4 48.4 29.6 15.2 43.9 42.0 38.1 25.4 13.2 26.1 100 21.3 7.6 94
Kogi 43.9 42.1 43.0 42.1 37.1 39.9 44.1 39.0 29.2 36.6 21.7 42.4 41.4 36.9 41.2 25.3 4.4 27.5 25.5 24.2 16.8 7.5 54.2 77 9.5 2.1 75
Kwara 51.9 48.7 48.3 45.0 34.9 49.0 47.9 35.0 30.7 43.9 31.6 47.4 44.1 33.4 40.9 29.7 15.6 35.8 37.0 34.7 28.1 13.0 48.1 81 22.7 11.1 91
Nasarawa 81.4 78.6 79.7 75.4 67.1 77.8 79.0 72.8 57.9 65.0 56.5 78.8 74.1 65.5 70.0 58.8 30.6 56.1 56.1 53.1 42.3 29.2 17.5 114 37.3 17.0 104
Niger 47.8 44.5 44.0 41.4 36.7 43.8 43.5 40.8 31.9 32.7 26.1 44.0 41.8 37.1 39.1 29.3 7.0 35.0 33.9 30.9 28.3 10.5 50.7 237 20.4 2.6 263
Plateau 69.7 66.0 64.7 58.4 47.1 59.0 66.1 59.8 39.1 49.9 34.1 64.1 58.9 49.3 62.7 50.4 22.8 43.9 39.1 37.7 25.3 13.4 26.7 126 18.8 5.0 124
Continued…

35
Table 15—Continued
Children age
24–35
Children age 12–23 months months
Fully Fully
vac- vac-
cin- cin-
ated ated
Fully ac- ac-
vac- cord- cord-
cin- ing to ing to
DPT-HepB-Hib OPV2 Pneumococcal ated na- No Num- na- Num-
HepB (basic tional vac- ber of tional ber of
Background (birth Rotavi Rotavi Rotavi Mea- Yellow Men- anti- sched- cin- chil- Mea- sched- chil-
characteristic BCG dose)1 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 IPV 1 IPV 2 1 2 3 rus 1 rus 2 rus 3 sles 1 fever ingitis gens)3 ule4 ations dren sles 2 ule5 dren
North East
Adamawa 70.8 69.6 70.9 65.3 59.2 68.0 70.2 62.5 44.3 62.1 37.9 69.7 64.1 58.3 61.6 51.4 29.1 55.7 55.1 49.7 38.4 23.2 25.1 117 31.1 14.0 122
Bauchi 66.5 52.1 63.1 60.0 58.2 52.1 63.0 60.1 54.9 43.0 52.4 63.1 59.2 57.9 56.4 51.0 23.6 57.0 56.2 56.5 51.4 22.5 32.3 318 26.8 17.5 226
Borno 76.2 69.0 68.3 63.5 42.2 68.3 71.5 52.1 35.1 60.1 33.0 67.6 62.7 42.0 60.5 41.2 11.3 45.4 45.0 43.7 28.5 16.2 21.2 194 23.7 9.3 208
Gombe 69.5 51.5 66.0 64.5 59.8 56.9 72.4 65.6 56.0 63.2 48.2 66.0 64.5 61.1 58.3 43.4 16.7 58.5 57.5 52.6 49.2 21.9 25.5 95 20.4 10.9 68
Taraba 65.7 64.8 59.3 58.7 47.3 62.1 54.4 47.5 40.4 48.7 37.1 58.8 58.2 50.4 54.6 41.6 14.4 41.9 40.3 40.8 26.0 8.0 32.1 101 15.3 3.2 115
Yobe 79.1 66.7 59.6 55.9 51.3 66.7 78.2 69.4 59.5 60.2 45.6 76.9 70.8 66.5 73.8 59.4 22.5 59.0 58.6 54.9 37.4 12.7 17.5 181 36.4 6.3 174
North West
Jigawa 66.4 54.2 65.7 65.2 62.2 54.1 71.8 69.3 62.7 62.3 50.0 65.7 64.2 62.0 58.7 47.9 31.2 62.6 61.6 59.9 56.9 32.9 26.9 197 35.2 7.9 199
Kaduna 58.4 46.4 54.4 50.1 48.0 48.3 59.8 54.6 44.3 47.4 28.2 54.4 50.1 48.0 46.3 29.4 10.8 45.3 41.5 38.9 35.7 9.9 34.0 368 36.8 7.9 289
Kano 63.5 51.8 57.6 54.1 47.5 55.1 58.8 52.8 45.6 46.7 32.4 57.6 54.1 46.8 48.4 41.1 18.6 38.6 37.3 34.4 35.8 13.6 35.5 531 18.3 6.4 446
Katsina 65.4 45.1 60.2 58.3 53.3 45.1 60.9 58.4 43.3 57.0 40.2 60.2 58.1 53.7 53.4 33.1 12.9 53.7 47.7 49.2 45.3 15.1 34.1 290 25.0 8.5 237
Kebbi 21.6 18.2 16.0 14.9 13.1 15.9 16.9 14.4 12.9 12.7 7.8 16.0 14.9 13.2 14.7 12.1 3.4 13.5 12.0 12.0 9.7 4.1 78.1 167 2.4 0.2 146
Sokoto 14.1 9.3 13.5 12.2 10.9 9.5 14.9 11.3 8.9 12.9 6.0 13.5 12.2 10.9 12.3 9.9 5.2 10.9 10.0 10.0 8.4 2.7 84.2 196 8.8 2.8 177
Zamfara 20.8 12.9 17.4 14.2 12.6 13.0 24.4 16.6 13.8 19.0 13.7 17.4 13.8 12.2 15.8 11.9 4.4 15.0 15.0 14.1 9.6 3.7 73.4 199 9.5 1.5 230
South East
Abia 93.4 84.3 95.8 91.8 79.7 85.0 97.6 73.4 39.5 91.7 76.3 92.7 88.0 67.8 81.0 69.6 45.0 75.4 72.1 68.5 38.0 20.7 1.3 43 66.2 23.1 37
Anambra 90.4 79.3 85.1 82.2 78.6 81.1 87.1 83.5 59.4 77.1 58.2 85.6 81.3 77.2 70.0 49.8 12.3 69.8 66.5 63.8 48.7 26.8 8.7 64 49.7 16.0 70
Ebonyi 98.2 86.3 97.4 95.8 75.9 76.5 97.4 91.6 69.4 89.0 63.0 96.3 94.5 75.6 74.5 52.8 25.1 70.4 68.2 65.3 57.9 36.4 1.8 132 41.7 25.8 100
Enugu 85.6 82.7 87.2 86.2 81.6 78.8 85.1 74.0 48.9 76.7 64.1 87.2 86.2 75.1 76.6 66.3 32.4 82.5 82.5 78.8 51.8 29.0 12.8 48 41.5 16.9 56
Imo 95.0 89.8 94.4 92.5 83.4 87.4 94.0 83.0 62.8 86.1 80.7 88.2 85.1 68.9 82.1 64.5 36.6 83.3 77.8 79.2 59.1 38.2 5.0 84 61.4 29.0 84
South South
Akwa Ibom 84.8 72.2 84.9 81.5 72.8 62.4 88.7 81.3 55.6 76.1 61.4 83.2 78.7 70.8 57.7 32.7 8.9 68.7 64.6 61.7 50.8 22.9 6.9 59 53.2 20.3 43
Bayelsa 84.8 82.3 80.9 77.7 73.4 79.5 81.3 75.2 69.3 76.2 65.0 78.9 78.0 73.8 72.8 60.2 39.4 70.8 67.7 64.9 63.4 54.6 14.9 34 52.3 34.2 28
Cross River 93.7 95.1 97.2 97.2 94.6 87.7 98.0 96.8 65.5 96.6 68.3 97.2 97.2 94.2 87.1 82.6 34.8 82.8 78.1 76.0 68.6 40.1 2.0 43 51.7 17.1 39
Delta 93.0 87.3 92.4 90.8 85.7 82.9 92.9 85.5 68.1 86.8 70.7 92.4 90.8 85.4 78.3 63.2 18.3 86.7 81.0 81.0 68.1 45.0 6.2 115 65.7 36.0 104
Edo 97.9 93.3 96.3 90.6 84.5 88.3 97.9 86.6 57.8 90.4 69.1 97.9 91.9 83.1 87.8 54.5 14.1 88.8 85.5 83.1 58.4 33.5 2.1 56 60.5 17.1 54
Rivers 77.3 68.2 77.3 76.3 71.0 57.8 75.8 67.6 60.9 76.1 58.6 76.3 76.3 69.7 68.3 51.1 21.6 68.4 67.5 65.5 55.7 29.3 21.2 118 47.5 11.2 110
South West
Ekiti (94.0) (86.0) (94.0) (94.0) (75.9) (91.2) (92.4) (88.9) (61.7) (89.5) (67.6) (89.5) (86.0) (75.9) (81.6) (67.5) (34.7) (74.3) (70.7) (72.1) (56.6) (38.6) (6.0) 21 (41.3) (20.9) 23
Lagos 95.3 94.3 95.3 92.3 87.6 85.6 96.9 93.8 65.7 87.4 78.0 94.5 93.0 88.5 90.0 66.1 28.5 88.0 85.9 81.1 66.1 43.9 3.1 177 52.0 23.9 115
Ogun 88.4 83.6 79.4 78.2 73.9 77.7 82.5 76.8 53.5 72.0 70.1 77.7 76.5 71.9 62.5 48.4 18.1 66.1 65.1 62.4 51.4 33.3 11.6 141 42.8 15.0 133
Ondo 76.5 74.0 76.5 70.2 63.9 74.0 76.5 59.7 57.5 71.6 59.5 74.2 66.0 59.7 72.0 57.8 34.8 65.1 62.0 62.0 50.9 46.6 23.5 44 51.4 31.4 57
Osun 90.3 78.0 90.6 82.3 67.1 83.2 84.8 74.1 61.9 79.4 71.4 90.6 82.3 68.1 69.1 53.0 22.8 67.1 67.1 67.1 55.3 41.2 8.4 64 (56.7) (27.1) 52
Oyo 71.4 62.8 70.1 60.8 52.6 63.1 65.6 52.4 41.7 64.5 52.2 70.1 58.5 51.3 61.4 36.4 17.4 55.2 54.6 48.8 31.1 15.9 26.9 105 47.1 19.8 113
Continued…

36
Table 15—Continued
Children age
24–35
Children age 12–23 months months
Fully Fully
vac- vac-
cin- cin-
ated ated
Fully ac- ac-
vac- cord- cord-
cin- ing to ing to
DPT-HepB-Hib OPV2 Pneumococcal ated na- No Num- na- Num-
HepB (basic tional vac- ber of tional ber of
Background (birth Rotavi Rotavi Rotavi Mea- Yellow Men- anti- sched- cin- chil- Mea- sched- chil-
characteristic BCG dose)1 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 IPV 1 IPV 2 1 2 3 rus 1 rus 2 rus 3 sles 1 fever ingitis gens)3 ule4 ations dren sles 2 ule5 dren
Mother’s education
No education 45.6 36.2 40.9 38.7 33.7 35.8 44.5 40.0 32.9 33.7 25.4 41.6 39.5 34.5 36.7 28.1 11.4 32.7 31.4 30.0 26.7 10.0 51.0 2,252 15.1 3.9 2,105
Primary 67.2 56.3 63.2 59.5 52.1 57.9 66.4 57.7 45.8 57.0 41.2 63.8 59.5 52.4 54.9 41.6 19.4 47.4 44.8 44.1 37.3 18.6 29.9 605 26.3 10.3 524
Secondary 85.1 76.5 81.5 76.8 68.6 74.2 81.5 72.2 54.6 73.1 56.9 80.8 75.8 67.7 69.6 51.9 22.2 65.2 62.9 60.3 47.4 25.7 13.4 1,713 41.0 15.6 1,541
More than
secondary 95.0 92.1 94.7 93.3 88.6 88.3 94.1 87.0 69.8 87.6 74.1 93.8 92.0 86.0 87.3 71.3 33.3 89.2 86.8 83.3 68.3 43.2 4.5 551 64.4 29.1 512
Wealth quintile
Lowest 47.2 37.7 43.2 40.2 35.7 37.1 48.3 42.3 35.0 35.0 26.9 44.3 41.4 37.0 38.7 30.2 12.8 35.4 34.3 32.5 27.9 10.5 49.1 1,213 14.7 4.0 1,070
Second 52.1 42.9 48.1 45.3 38.5 42.5 50.1 45.5 36.0 39.8 30.5 48.6 45.4 38.7 42.4 31.4 14.0 35.9 34.0 32.8 28.5 11.5 44.7 1,138 18.7 4.7 997
Middle 69.3 59.7 63.9 60.8 53.5 59.8 65.9 58.9 47.1 57.7 38.7 63.6 60.3 52.4 55.3 41.1 15.5 49.0 47.2 45.5 39.6 18.0 28.0 967 27.8 11.3 974
Fourth 81.2 72.0 77.5 73.5 65.7 69.6 77.0 66.3 51.9 70.6 55.9 77.0 72.9 65.2 67.5 51.4 21.6 63.5 61.0 58.9 46.1 26.2 17.5 966 41.0 13.6 858
Highest 94.8 90.1 93.4 90.9 85.3 86.9 93.5 86.6 65.4 86.0 73.7 92.6 89.4 83.9 82.8 65.4 31.6 84.1 81.6 78.5 62.6 39.5 4.9 838 57.7 26.9 782
Total 66.7 58.1 62.9 59.8 53.4 56.9 64.8 57.9 45.6 55.4 43.0 63.0 59.6 53.3 55.3 42.3 18.3 51.4 49.4 47.5 39.4 19.8 30.9 5,121 30.3 11.2 4,680

Note: Children are considered to have received the vaccine if it was either written on the child’s vaccination card or reported by the mother. For children whose vaccination information is based on the mother’s report, date of vaccination
is not collected. The proportions of vaccinations given during the first and second years of life are assumed to be the same as for children with a written record of vaccination. Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted
cases.
BCG = bacille Calmette-Guérin
DPT = diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus
HepB = hepatitis B
Hib = Haemophilus influenzae type b
OPV = oral polio vaccine
IPV = inactivated polio vaccine
1
Children are considered to have received HepB (birth dose) if it was recorded on their card or reported by their mother, regardless of timing.
2
OPV 0 is the polio vaccination given at birth.
3
BCG, three doses of DPT-HepB-Hib (pentavalent), three doses of polio vaccine (excluding polio vaccine given at birth), and one dose of measles vaccine
4
BCG, HepB (birth dose), three doses of DPT-HepB-Hib (pentavalent), four doses of OPV, two doses of IPV, three doses of pneumococcal vaccine, two doses of measles vaccine, one dose of yellow fever vaccine, and one dose of
meningitis vaccine
5
BCG, HepB (birth dose), three doses of DPT-HepB-Hib (pentavalent), four doses of OPV, two doses of IPV, three doses of pneumococcal vaccine, two doses of measles vaccine, one dose of yellow fever vaccine, and one dose of
meningitis vaccine
6
Vaccination card, booklet, or other home-based record

37
 3.11 CARE SEEKING FOR AND TREATMENT OF CHILD ILLNESS

Acute respiratory infection (ARI), fever, and dehydration from diarrhoea are important contributing causes
of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries (WHO 2003). Prompt medical attention
when a child has the symptoms of these illnesses is, therefore, crucial in reducing child deaths.

Table 16 presents information on care seeking for ill children in Nigeria. Overall, 2% of children under
age 5 showed symptoms of an ARI, 16% had a fever, and 15% experienced diarrhoea in the 2 weeks
preceding the survey.

▪ Advice or treatment was sought for 60% of children with symptoms of ARI in the 2 weeks before the
survey.

▪ Advice or treatment was sought for 60% of children with a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey.

▪ Advice or treatment was sought for 60% of children with diarrhoea in the 2 weeks before the survey.

▪ Forty-seven percent of children with diarrhoea received oral rehydration salts (ORS), 33% received
zinc supplements, 24% received ORS and zinc supplements, and 16% received ORS, zinc
supplements, and continued feeding.

Table 16 Treatment for ARI symptoms, fever, and diarrhoea

Among children under age 5 who had symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) or had a fever during the 2 weeks preceding the survey, percentage for whom advice
or treatment was sought, and among children under age 5 who had diarrhoea during the 2 weeks preceding the survey, percentage for whom advice or treatment was
sought, percentage given a fluid made from oral rehydration salt (ORS) packets or given prepackaged ORS fluid, percentage given zinc, percentage given ORS and zinc,
and percentage given ORS, zinc, and continued feeding, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Children with symptoms
of ARI1 Children with fever Children with diarrhoea
Percentage
Percentage Percentage Percentage given fluid Percentage
for whom for whom for whom from ORS given ORS,
advice or advice or advice or packet or pre- Percentage zinc, and
Background treatment was Number of treatment was Number of treatment was packaged Percentage given ORS continued Number of
characteristic sought2 children sought2 children sought2 ORS fluid given zinc and zinc feeding3 children
Age in months
<6 57.3 63 50.6 303 48.9 30.4 22.8 15.1 9.1 358
6–11 58.5 90 58.8 556 58.6 44.5 36.1 26.8 19.0 659
12–23 64.0 122 61.4 1,068 61.7 51.6 35.7 25.8 18.2 1,131
24–35 59.2 115 59.9 729 62.7 48.3 36.3 26.1 17.6 657
36–47 62.2 99 61.9 811 59.3 47.8 28.8 21.7 15.3 594
48–59 57.6 100 60.9 696 59.5 45.6 28.5 18.9 12.6 434
Sex
Male 62.7 290 60.0 2,142 60.5 48.1 33.7 24.4 16.7 1,977
Female 57.6 298 60.0 2,021 58.4 44.9 31.8 22.7 15.9 1,856
Residence
Urban 71.8 228 67.5 1,608 66.2 57.1 39.5 30.4 22.1 1,316
Rural 52.7 360 55.3 2,556 56.0 41.1 29.3 20.1 13.3 2,516
Zone
North Central 68.0 51 68.6 483 63.0 55.7 35.9 26.5 19.7 356
North East 67.2 162 60.6 706 67.8 52.6 41.4 32.3 23.3 810
North West 54.0 331 53.7 1,998 56.4 44.0 29.7 20.2 13.9 2,146
South East * 11 63.8 369 52.4 26.2 21.1 12.0 7.6 174
South South 68.4 27 67.9 352 66.9 46.6 39.2 28.2 14.2 148
South West * 6 75.2 256 53.9 51.4 30.6 26.9 16.3 199
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja * 9 88.2 52 74.3 73.2 61.6 53.6 25.3 44
Benue * 4 (67.2) 45 * * * * * 16
Kogi * 8 66.7 58 62.7 64.1 22.4 18.9 17.6 43
Kwara * 5 * 16 * * * * * 17
Nasarawa * 4 72.8 116 63.0 46.6 44.9 29.5 25.0 120
Niger * 10 65.0 138 53.9 59.7 6.8 4.7 4.7 68
Plateau * 12 54.3 58 64.4 35.5 37.8 25.9 23.8 49
North East
Adamawa (88.7) 27 70.3 63 75.1 43.7 48.7 33.3 9.5 101
Bauchi * 22 38.6 178 57.5 69.1 50.1 46.1 34.5 227
Borno 67.0 75 69.9 104 68.8 61.1 45.3 41.1 31.3 129
Gombe * 5 83.8 90 77.1 35.6 56.4 21.2 12.1 58
Taraba * 1 (56.1) 28 (69.1) (54.9) (21.5) (21.5) (11.9) 25
Yobe (71.7) 34 62.1 243 71.2 41.4 28.2 19.6 18.8 271
Continued…

38
Table 16—Continued
Children with symptoms
of ARI1 Children with fever Children with diarrhoea
Percentage
Percentage Percentage Percentage given fluid Percentage
for whom for whom for whom from ORS given ORS,
advice or advice or advice or packet or pre- Percentage zinc, and
Background treatment was Number of treatment was Number of treatment was packaged Percentage given ORS continued Number of
characteristic sought2 children sought2 children sought2 ORS fluid given zinc and zinc feeding3 children
North West
Jigawa (76.1) 30 69.5 170 56.0 34.8 28.3 17.0 12.8 228
Kaduna 57.0 94 58.0 637 60.7 38.7 31.0 22.3 15.9 611
Kano 53.8 114 45.1 691 53.7 60.0 28.7 20.6 14.5 752
Katsina * 22 56.3 204 62.6 15.8 23.1 11.0 9.2 245
Kebbi (48.6) 22 41.4 139 51.9 36.6 34.4 16.5 9.5 185
Sokoto (37.5) 45 59.1 62 39.9 48.4 41.8 38.8 12.7 70
Zamfara * 3 67.9 95 (55.3) (67.4) (33.7) (33.7) (26.7) 55
South East
Abia * 0 60.6 54 * * * * * 12
Anambra * 3 88.4 49 (57.5) (28.2) (17.9) (17.9) (8.5) 23
Ebonyi * 1 39.7 142 32.1 18.9 12.8 3.4 2.6 78
Enugu * 1 (52.7) 26 * * * * * 4
Imo * 6 91.5 97 76.0 31.0 28.5 19.6 13.3 57
South South
Akwa Ibom * 5 70.1 107 (62.2) (15.6) (13.5) (6.5) (4.2) 28
Bayelsa (87.8) 10 71.3 45 70.3 50.6 41.5 35.8 11.4 25
Cross River * 4 83.4 43 66.9 56.0 72.4 52.0 22.5 34
Delta * 1 65.3 58 (71.3) (50.1) (24.5) (15.5) (15.5) 29
Edo * 5 59.1 39 * * * * * 12
Rivers * 2 58.4 60 * * * * * 20
South West
Ekiti * 0 (61.8) 13 * * * * * 5
Lagos * 1 81.5 82 * * * * * 35
Ogun * 0 79.9 81 54.5 25.5 23.9 18.0 13.4 85
Ondo * 1 * 13 * * * * * 16
Osun * 3 (69.1) 35 (35.2) (54.5) (3.3) (3.3) (0.0) 25
Oyo * 1 (63.5) 32 (39.7) (70.7) (23.5) (21.8) (13.5) 33
Mother’s
education
No education 49.2 322 53.6 1,801 55.4 41.8 29.4 19.6 13.3 1,933
Primary 62.7 68 52.8 549 57.5 40.9 28.6 18.5 12.8 531
Secondary 74.2 160 68.2 1,414 65.8 53.9 36.6 28.9 19.7 1,116
More than
secondary (88.0) 39 70.1 400 67.2 62.7 50.4 41.9 31.8 253
Wealth quintile
Lowest 55.0 153 49.9 888 52.4 35.4 28.6 18.3 12.6 975
Second 51.7 163 54.9 950 58.1 42.8 30.0 20.8 14.9 963
Middle 63.8 105 58.2 955 62.2 49.0 32.2 23.2 15.3 868
Fourth 64.7 106 70.0 772 63.9 54.8 37.6 29.1 19.5 658
Highest 80.6 62 73.3 598 67.7 65.6 43.9 36.0 26.4 369
Total 60.1 589 60.0 4,164 59.5 46.6 32.8 23.6 16.3 3,833

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been
suppressed.
1
Symptoms of ARI include short, rapid breathing that is chest-related and/or difficult breathing that is chest-related.
2
Includes advice or treatment from the following sources: public sector, private medical sector, shop, market, and itinerant drug seller. Excludes advice or treatment from a
traditional practitioner.
3
Continued feeding includes children who were given more, the same as usual, or somewhat less food during the diarrhoea episode.

3.12 CHILD NUTRITIONAL STATUS

Anthropometry is commonly used to measure child nutritional status. Anthropometric measurements are
used to report on child growth indicators. The distribution of height and weight for children under age 5
was compared with the WHO Child Growth Standards reference population (WHO 2006b). The
distribution of a well-nourished population will be similar to that of the reference population, while the
distribution of a poorly nourished population will not. The indices height-for-age, weight-for-height, and
weight-for-age can be expressed in standard deviation units (z scores) from the median of the reference
population. Values that are greater than two standard deviations below the median of the WHO Child
Growth Standards are used to define malnutrition.

39
 Stunting (assessed via height-for-age)
Height-for-age is a measure of growth faltering. Children whose height-for-age
z score is below minus two standard deviations (−2 SD) from the median of
the reference population are considered short for their age (stunted). Children
whose z score is below minus three standard deviations (−3 SD) from the
median are considered severely stunted.
Sample: Children under age 5

Wasting (assessed via weight-for-height)

The weight-for-height index measures body mass in relation to body height or
length and describes acute undernutrition. Children whose weight-for-height z
score is below minus two standard deviations (−2 SD) from the median of the
reference population are considered thin (wasted). Children whose z score is
below minus three standard deviations (−3 SD) from the median are
considered severely wasted.
Sample: Children under age 5

Underweight (assessed via weight-for-age)

Weight-for-age is a composite index of height-for-age and weight-for-height
that takes into account both wasting and stunting. Children whose weight-for-
age z score is below minus two standard deviations (−2 SD) from the median
of the reference population are classified as underweight. Children whose z
score is below minus three standard deviations (−3 SD) from the median are
considered severely underweight.
Sample: Children under age 5

Overweight (assessed via weight-for-height)

Children whose weight-for-height z score is more than two standard deviations
(+2 SD) above the median of the reference population are considered
overweight.
Sample: Children under age 5

The 2023–24 NDHS identified a total of 10,823 children under age 5 who were eligible for height and
weight measurements. The percentages with valid data for height-for-age, weight-for-height, and weight-
for-age were 94%, 95%, and 95%, respectively.

Table 17 shows the nutritional status of children under age 5 according to the four anthropometric indices.
Forty percent of children under age 5 are stunted, 8% are wasted, 1% are overweight, and 27% are
underweight.

Trends: The nutritional status of children under age Figure 6 Trends in child growth
5 has not greatly improved in the past 5 years. In measures
2018, 37% of children under age 5 were stunted, 7% Percentage of children under age 5 who
were wasted, 22% were underweight, and 2% were have suboptimal growth
overweight, as compared with 40%, 8%, 27%, and
2018 NDHS 2023–24 NDHS
1%, respectively, in 2023–24 (Figure 6).

37 40
22 27
7 8
2 1

Stunted Wasted Underweight Overweight

40
Table 17 Nutritional status of children
Percentage of children under age 5 classified as malnourished according to three anthropometric indices of child growth: height-for-age, weight-for-height, and
weight-for-age, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Height-for-age1 Weight-for-height Weight-for-age
Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent-
age age Mean Number age age age Mean Number age age Mean Number
Background below below z score of below below above z score of below below z score of
characteristic −3 SD −2 SD2 (SD) children −3 SD −2 SD 2
+2 SD (SD) children −3 SD −2 SD2 (SD) children
Age in months
<6 6.6 20.4 −0.9 1,072 1.8 8.7 4.4 −0.1 1,071 5.6 17.2 −0.8 1,085
6–11 8.3 26.4 −1.1 1,060 4.0 17.0 1.5 −0.9 1,069 9.3 29.2 −1.3 1,070
12–23 16.8 40.4 −1.7 2,094 3.0 12.9 0.8 −0.8 2,114 9.3 28.4 −1.4 2,117
24–35 23.7 46.6 −1.9 1,944 1.3 5.5 1.4 −0.3 1,962 8.5 26.8 −1.3 1,965
36–47 25.2 47.6 −1.9 2,008 0.9 5.1 1.2 −0.3 2,043 9.8 28.1 −1.4 2,042
48–59 19.6 40.8 −1.7 2,218 1.0 5.5 0.5 −0.5 2,247 6.7 26.7 −1.4 2,241

0–23 12.1 31.8 −1.3 4,226 2.9 12.9 1.9 −0.6 4,254 8.3 25.8 −1.2 4,272
24–59 22.7 44.9 −1.8 6,170 1.1 5.3 1.0 −0.4 6,252 8.3 27.2 −1.4 6,248
Sex
Male 20.4 42.6 −1.7 5,256 2.1 8.9 1.5 −0.5 5,313 9.3 27.7 −1.4 5,327
Female 16.4 36.4 −1.5 5,140 1.6 7.9 1.3 −0.5 5,193 7.3 25.5 −1.3 5,193
Mother’s interview
status
Interviewed 18.2 39.1 −1.6 9,605 1.9 8.4 1.4 −0.5 9,667 8.3 26.4 −1.3 9,715
Not interviewed but in
household 27.8 51.8 −2.1 138 0.4 4.9 0.3 −0.4 155 3.2 38.4 −1.5 140
Not interviewed, not
in household3 20.2 43.2 −1.7 652 1.6 8.1 1.8 −0.4 684 10.0 26.6 −1.3 665
Residence
Urban 10.9 27.8 −1.2 4,373 1.4 9.5 1.4 −0.6 4,390 6.0 21.5 −1.1 4,407
Rural 23.9 48.1 −1.9 6,022 2.1 7.5 1.4 −0.4 6,116 10.0 30.2 −1.5 6,113
Zone
North Central 14.8 36.8 −1.5 1,741 1.5 6.5 1.0 −0.4 1,749 6.2 21.1 −1.1 1,752
North East 26.6 51.8 −2.0 1,798 2.6 8.1 1.7 −0.4 1,849 13.1 33.4 −1.5 1,842
North West 27.8 53.2 −2.1 3,524 1.9 8.3 1.8 −0.4 3,575 10.9 33.8 −1.6 3,575
South East 6.5 20.6 −1.0 1,274 1.5 7.0 1.1 −0.5 1,277 4.2 16.0 −0.9 1,282
South South 4.6 17.9 −0.8 994 2.0 11.3 1.2 −0.7 994 3.8 16.8 −1.0 996
South West 6.6 21.2 −1.0 1,064 1.0 11.0 0.5 −0.7 1,062 3.9 21.8 −1.1 1,073
North Central
FCT-Abuja 3.9 16.3 −0.8 158 1.2 7.0 1.2 −0.4 157 3.0 13.7 −0.7 158
Benue 9.6 25.3 −1.0 215 0.0 6.7 0.0 −0.4 217 2.2 13.4 −0.8 217
Kogi 15.2 34.6 −1.5 173 1.0 5.9 1.1 −0.5 174 6.7 21.1 −1.2 174
Kwara 18.0 40.8 −1.7 196 2.1 6.1 0.0 −0.5 197 7.6 24.5 −1.4 199
Nasarawa 13.6 35.0 −1.5 269 2.3 9.6 1.0 −0.5 269 6.5 22.9 −1.2 269
Niger 17.2 43.9 −1.7 492 2.3 5.8 1.7 −0.3 496 7.4 23.7 −1.2 496
Plateau 19.8 46.4 −1.9 239 0.3 4.8 1.1 −0.2 239 7.3 22.8 −1.2 239
North East
Adamawa 26.7 48.6 −2.0 234 3.4 7.0 0.5 −0.4 240 13.1 32.5 −1.5 243
Bauchi 32.3 61.7 −2.3 533 2.7 5.2 2.8 −0.2 544 12.7 33.4 −1.5 545
Borno 23.4 40.9 −1.7 367 3.0 10.3 2.9 −0.5 371 12.1 28.1 −1.4 378
Gombe 25.0 50.6 −1.9 173 2.4 8.8 0.4 −0.7 177 12.7 38.6 −1.6 177
Taraba 20.8 45.6 −1.8 194 0.9 9.5 0.6 −0.5 195 12.2 31.4 −1.4 195
Yobe 25.2 54.5 −2.1 297 2.6 10.1 0.6 −0.6 322 16.0 38.8 −1.7 305
North West
Jigawa 31.9 55.7 −2.2 389 4.7 13.2 1.0 −0.7 393 17.6 41.9 −1.9 394
Kaduna 16.8 40.7 −1.8 670 0.3 5.9 1.8 −0.2 674 6.0 24.7 −1.2 675
Kano 29.4 51.9 −2.1 953 2.2 10.4 1.4 −0.5 978 12.2 38.4 −1.6 977
Katsina 32.6 64.6 −2.3 576 1.5 6.7 3.6 −0.1 572 8.1 26.8 −1.4 584
Kebbi 35.2 60.0 −2.4 287 1.7 9.6 1.2 −0.5 289 11.0 40.6 −1.7 287
Sokoto 14.8 42.8 −2.0 332 2.1 6.0 1.5 −0.7 332 6.8 24.9 −1.7 332
Zamfara 39.2 64.2 −2.6 317 1.9 5.3 1.9 −0.4 338 18.3 44.3 −1.9 326
South East
Abia 7.0 20.2 −1.0 113 2.1 8.2 2.9 −0.4 114 3.5 16.3 −0.9 114
Anambra 5.8 12.9 −0.7 265 2.1 9.8 1.3 −0.6 263 5.4 13.0 −0.8 265
Ebonyi 10.2 31.6 −1.4 386 1.3 6.5 1.4 −0.5 390 5.8 22.4 −1.2 392
Enugu 4.2 15.2 −0.6 220 0.6 3.9 0.9 −0.3 220 1.1 8.2 −0.6 221
Imo 3.9 17.3 −0.9 291 1.6 7.1 0.0 −0.6 290 3.6 15.8 −0.9 291
South South
Akwa Ibom 9.0 24.1 −1.2 160 1.4 11.8 1.3 −0.7 159 5.0 22.6 −1.2 161
Bayelsa 10.6 27.6 −1.2 80 0.8 8.9 1.3 −0.6 80 5.1 23.0 −1.1 80
Cross River 5.1 21.0 −1.2 103 0.5 5.6 0.5 −0.4 105 5.4 16.0 −1.0 104
Delta 2.9 20.0 −0.7 176 2.7 15.1 0.5 −0.8 175 2.9 19.6 −1.0 176
Edo 3.6 13.6 −0.7 140 0.5 8.0 1.1 −0.7 138 2.1 13.0 −0.9 140
Rivers 2.2 12.3 −0.6 336 3.2 12.7 1.8 −0.8 337 3.7 13.0 −0.9 336
Continued…

41
Table 17—Continued
Height-for-age1 Weight-for-height Weight-for-age
Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent- Percent-
age age Mean Number age age age Mean Number age age Mean Number
Background below below z score of below below above z score of below below z score of
characteristic −3 SD −2 SD2 (SD) children −3 SD −2 SD 2
+2 SD (SD) children −3 SD −2 SD2 (SD) children
South West
Ekiti 4.8 17.1 −1.0 61 0.4 5.0 0.0 −0.4 61 2.1 16.9 −0.9 61
Lagos 2.1 17.3 −0.7 235 0.6 6.0 0.4 −0.5 235 2.8 14.3 −0.8 242
Ogun 6.1 17.7 −1.0 244 0.5 13.4 0.0 −0.8 244 4.3 23.8 −1.1 244
Ondo 12.3 23.2 −1.2 108 1.1 10.2 0.7 −0.6 106 7.3 17.8 −1.1 106
Osun 8.8 30.5 −1.3 139 1.2 11.8 2.7 −0.6 139 2.8 27.9 −1.2 140
Oyo 7.9 23.1 −1.1 277 1.8 14.4 0.0 −0.9 277 4.2 26.1 −1.3 280
Mother’s education4
No education 29.6 55.1 −2.2 3,975 2.7 8.7 1.4 −0.5 4,043 12.8 36.2 −1.6 4,050
Primary 18.1 40.5 −1.7 1,251 1.8 7.6 2.0 −0.4 1,259 8.6 26.2 −1.3 1,263
Secondary 9.8 28.9 −1.3 3,356 1.2 9.1 0.8 −0.6 3,360 4.8 21.0 −1.2 3,378
More than secondary 4.2 14.0 −0.6 1,161 0.7 6.4 2.2 −0.4 1,160 1.7 9.8 −0.6 1,164
Wealth quintile
Lowest 31.3 55.9 −2.2 2,236 3.0 9.2 1.7 −0.5 2,282 14.7 38.9 −1.7 2,281
Second 26.5 52.5 −2.1 2,080 2.1 7.6 1.8 −0.4 2,118 10.6 32.2 −1.5 2,116
Middle 18.0 41.1 −1.7 2,066 1.7 6.7 1.1 −0.4 2,095 7.9 24.8 −1.3 2,092
Fourth 9.9 30.0 −1.4 2,152 1.2 9.5 0.7 −0.6 2,149 4.5 22.3 −1.2 2,160
Highest 4.3 14.7 −0.7 1,862 1.0 8.8 1.7 −0.5 1,862 2.7 12.3 −0.7 1,871
Total 18.4 39.5 −1.6 10,396 1.8 8.4 1.4 −0.5 10,506 8.3 26.6 −1.3 10,520

Note: Each of the indices is expressed in standard deviation units (SD) from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards.
1
Recumbent length is measured for children under age 2; standing height is measured for all other children.
2
Includes children who are below −3 SD from the WHO Child Growth Standards population median
3
Includes children whose mothers are deceased
4
For women who are not interviewed, information is taken from the Household Questionnaire. Excludes children whose mothers are not listed in the Household
Questionnaire.

3.13 INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD FEEDING

Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are critical to the health and survival of young
children. Recommended IYCF practices include early initiation of breastfeeding (within the first hour of
life), exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and feeding children a diet that meets a
minimum diversity standard (WHO and UNICEF 2021).

Early initiation of breastfeeding

Percentage of children born in the past 2 years who were put to the breast
within 1 hour of birth.
Sample: Children born in the past 2 years

Exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months

Percentage of children age 0–5 months who were fed exclusively with breast
milk during the previous day.
Sample: Youngest children age 0–5 months living with their mother

Minimum dietary diversity 6–23 months

Percentage of children age 6–23 months who were fed a minimum of five out
of eight defined food groups during the previous day. The eight food groups
are as follows: breast milk; grains, roots, and tubers; legumes and nuts; dairy
products (milk, yogurt, and cheese); flesh foods (meat, fish, poultry, and organ
meat); eggs; vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables; and other fruits and
vegetables.
Sample: Youngest children age 6–23 months living with their mother

42
 Key IYCF indicators are presented in Table 18.

▪ Thirty-six percent of children born in the past 2 years were breastfed within 1 hour of birth.

▪ Twelve percent of children age 6–23 months are fed with a minimum dietary diversity.

▪ Twenty-nine percent of children under age 6 months are exclusively breastfed.

Table 18 Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators

Percentage of children fed according to various IYCF practices, Nigeria DHS 2023–24

Indicator Indicator numerator and denominator Value

Early initiation of Percentage of children born in the past 2 years who were put to the breast within 1 hour of birth 35.5
breastfeeding1 Number of children born in the past 2 years 11,407

Exclusive breastfeeding Percentage of children age 0–5 months who were fed exclusively with breast milk during the previous day 28.8
under 6 months Number of youngest children age 0–5 months living with their mother 2,734

Minimum dietary diversity Percentage of children age 6–23 months who were fed foods and beverages from at least five out of eight 12.4
6–23 months defined food groups during the previous day
Number of youngest children age 6–23 months living with their mother 7,611

Sweet beverage Percentage of children age 6–23 months who were given a sweet beverage during the previous day 41.2
consumption 6–23 Number of youngest children age 6–23 months living with their mother 7,611
months

Unhealthy food Percentage of children age 6–23 months fed unhealthy foods during the previous day 23.7
consumption 6–23 Number of youngest children age 6–23 months living with their mother 7,611
months

1
Includes children born in the 2 years preceding the survey regardless of whether the children are living or dead at the time of interview

Unhealthy infant and young child feeding practices should be avoided because they can promote unhealthy
weight gain and replace nutritious foods that provide important nutrients for children. For infants and
young children, consumption of sweet foods and beverages increases the risk of dental caries and
childhood obesity. The indicator definition below for unhealthy food consumption describes sentinel
unhealthy foods, foods high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats that are commonly consumed by infants and
young children (WHO and UNICEF 2021).

Sweet beverage consumption

Percentage of children age 6–23 months who were given a sweet beverage
during the previous day.
Unhealthy food consumption
Percentage of children age 6–23 months who were fed sentinel unhealthy
foods during the previous day.
Sample: Youngest children age 6–23 months living with their mother

▪ Forty-one percent of children age 6–23 months were fed a sweet beverage during the previous day.

▪ Twenty-four percent of children age 6–23 months consumed unhealthy foods during the previous day.

43
Trends: Exclusive breastfeeding among children age Figure 7 Trends in exclusive
0–5 months increased from 2% in 1990 to 29% in breastfeeding
2018 and 2023–24 (Figure 7). Percentage of children age 0–5 months

29 29
17 13 17
2

1990 2003 2008 2013 2018 2023–24

3.14 MALARIA NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS NDHS

3.14.1 Ownership and Use of Insecticide-treated Nets

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) repel and kill mosquitoes, thus providing protection against mosquito bites
and reducing the transmission of malaria parasites. When high coverage of ITNs is achieved, ITNs help
decrease malaria risk at the individual level as well as at the community level by reducing the vector
population. The distribution and use of ITNs is one of the core interventions for preventing malaria
infection in Nigeria.

Ownership of insecticide-treated nets

Households that have at least one insecticide-treated net (ITN). An ITN is a
factory-treated net that does not require any further treatment.
Sample: Households

Full household ITN coverage

Percentage of households with at least one ITN for every two people.
Sample: Households (with at least one person who stayed in the household
the night before the survey)

Table 19 presents information on household ownership of ITNs.

▪ Fifty-nine percent of households own at least one ITN, with the percentage being much higher in rural
households (67%) than in urban households (51%).

▪ Thirty-two percent of households have full ITN coverage.

44
Table 19 Household possession of insecticide-treated nets
Percentage of households with at least one insecticide-treated net (ITN), average number of ITNs per
household, and percentage of households with at least one ITN per two persons who stayed in the
household last night, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage of
households
with at least Number of
one ITN1 for households
every two with at least
Percentage of Average persons who one person
households number of stayed in the who stayed in
Background with at least ITNs1 per Number of household the household
characteristic one ITN1 household households last night2 last night
Residence
Urban 51.3 1.1 20,324 27.4 20,290
Rural 67.2 1.6 19,723 35.8 19,694
Zone
North Central 54.2 1.2 7,199 31.2 7,188
North East 71.9 1.7 5,973 37.4 5,964
North West 81.1 2.0 10,230 36.7 10,222
South East 42.6 0.9 3,444 22.0 3,442
South South 48.6 1.1 5,196 33.6 5,178
South West 40.1 0.6 8,005 23.6 7,991
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 40.3 0.6 949 19.4 947
Benue 82.3 2.0 1,184 60.2 1,179
Kogi 38.8 0.7 652 20.1 651
Kwara 36.9 0.6 898 16.4 897
Nasarawa 47.0 0.8 941 20.4 941
Niger 72.0 1.8 1,602 42.8 1,601
Plateau 37.5 0.8 973 19.9 973
North East
Adamawa 78.6 2.0 878 48.9 877
Bauchi 76.4 2.1 1,720 44.8 1,714
Borno 57.3 0.9 1,216 20.6 1,216
Gombe 79.2 1.9 512 33.7 512
Taraba 70.9 1.7 811 40.6 809
Yobe 73.4 1.9 837 34.1 837
North West
Jigawa 86.7 2.2 1,067 38.9 1,065
Kaduna 72.0 1.6 2,111 33.0 2,107
Kano 87.1 2.6 2,600 46.5 2,600
Katsina 75.8 1.7 1,673 28.3 1,670
Kebbi 81.5 1.8 769 30.9 769
Sokoto 78.5 1.9 1,030 32.2 1,030
Zamfara 89.7 2.2 981 40.3 981
South East
Abia 25.4 0.4 501 13.3 501
Anambra 56.8 1.3 814 35.2 814
Ebonyi 74.4 1.7 682 32.9 682
Enugu 17.0 0.2 663 6.5 661
Imo 32.8 0.6 785 17.5 785
South South
Akwa Ibom 70.9 1.9 903 59.9 902
Bayelsa 38.9 0.6 322 15.0 322
Cross River 80.2 1.8 631 64.6 631
Delta 58.0 1.3 1,199 40.5 1,185
Edo 21.0 0.4 763 9.0 763
Rivers 29.1 0.5 1,379 14.2 1,376
South West
Ekiti 25.4 0.4 436 14.8 436
Lagos 31.9 0.5 2,212 18.1 2,209
Ogun 33.7 0.5 1,816 18.3 1,808
Ondo 58.4 1.1 898 41.8 897
Osun 59.0 0.9 1,145 37.4 1,142
Oyo 39.1 0.6 1,498 19.4 1,498
Continued…

45
 Table 19—Continued
Percentage of
households
with at least Number of
one ITN1 for households
every two with at least
Percentage of Average persons who one person
households number of stayed in the who stayed in
Background with at least ITNs1 per Number of household the household
characteristic one ITN1 household households last night2 last night
Wealth quintile
Lowest 69.8 1.6 6,759 32.8 6,757
Second 70.1 1.6 6,958 35.8 6,944
Middle 63.7 1.5 7,712 34.1 7,702
Fourth 54.8 1.2 8,706 31.4 8,688
Highest 44.6 0.9 9,911 25.8 9,893
Total 59.2 1.3 40,047 31.5 39,984

1
An insecticide-treated net (ITN) is a factory-treated net that does not require any further treatment. In
the 2008 NDHS, 2010 NMIS, 2013 NDHS, and 2015 NMIS, this was known as a long-lasting
insecticidal net (LLIN).
2
De facto household members

Trends: The percentage of households that own at Figure 8 Trends in household ownership
least one ITN has risen sharply since 2008, from 8% of insecticide-treated nets
to 59% (Figure 8). Percentage of households owning at least
one insecticide-treated net (ITN)
ITNs act as both a physical and a chemical barrier
against mosquitoes. By reducing the vector
population, ITNs can help reduce malaria risk at the 69
community level as well as among individuals who 61 59
50
use them. 42

Table 20 presents data on use of ITNs by children

8
under age 5 and by pregnant women.

▪ Forty-three percent of children under age 5 slept 2008 2010 2013 2015 2018 2023–24
NDHS NMIS NDHS NMIS NDHS NDHS
under an ITN the night before the survey.
Note: The definition of an ITN in surveys conducted prior
▪ Forty-six percent of pregnant women age 15–49 to the 2018 NDHS included nets that had been soaked
slept under an ITN the night before the survey. with insecticides within the past 12 months.

46
Table 20 Use of insecticide-treated nets by children and pregnant women
Percentage of children under age 5 who slept under an insecticide-treated net (ITN) the night before the survey; among children under age 5 in
households with at least one ITN, percentage who slept under an ITN the night before the survey; percentage of pregnant women age 15–49 who
slept under an ITN the night before the survey; and among pregnant women age 15–49 in households with at least one ITN, percentage who slept
under an ITN the night before the survey, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Children under age Pregnant women age
Children under age 5 in households with at Pregnant women age 15–49 in households with
5 in all households least one ITN1 15–49 in all households at least one ITN1
Percentage Percentage Percentage Percentage
who slept who slept who slept Number of who slept Number of
Background under an ITN1 Number of under an ITN1 Number of under an ITN1 pregnant under an ITN1 pregnant
characteristic last night children last night children last night women last night women
Residence
Urban 39.8 11,126 62.5 7,083 39.7 1,282 66.8 762
Rural 44.2 17,227 59.7 12,756 49.0 2,093 66.3 1,548
Zone
North Central 37.6 4,778 62.9 2,860 38.5 555 63.7 335
North East 49.3 5,510 65.4 4,152 49.8 646 69.0 466
North West 52.2 10,948 62.3 9,166 59.6 1,380 72.2 1,139
South East 24.2 2,122 44.1 1,162 23.4 215 46.4 109
South South 30.6 2,164 55.1 1,204 23.6 283 46.3 144
South West 22.6 2,831 49.4 1,296 20.1 297 51.0 117
North Central
FCT-Abuja 36.6 402 63.0 234 (27.9) 47 (58.6) 22
Benue 58.5 578 68.5 494 58.7 82 71.5 67
Kogi 26.8 438 66.2 177 30.1 47 (72.0) 20
Kwara 12.5 504 31.5 200 16.7 47 (36.4) 22
Nasarawa 37.4 637 72.4 330 24.9 77 (52.9) 36
Niger 48.4 1,517 64.1 1,145 55.1 158 70.5 123
Plateau 22.8 701 57.0 280 25.2 97 54.5 45
North East
Adamawa 47.9 688 60.7 543 42.6 83 54.3 65
Bauchi 50.5 1,629 62.4 1,317 53.5 179 68.9 139
Borno 39.6 1,104 62.4 702 36.1 125 65.9 69
Gombe 52.2 521 62.9 432 59.1 60 75.8 47
Taraba 42.6 598 57.6 442 56.2 83 65.3 72
Yobe 62.0 970 83.8 717 54.5 115 83.8 75
North West
Jigawa 55.2 1,248 61.1 1,127 73.7 128 81.9 115
Kaduna 43.7 1,965 58.3 1,472 50.9 277 69.1 204
Kano 67.5 2,898 75.1 2,605 82.4 279 88.8 259
Katsina 45.7 1,788 59.2 1,380 51.6 246 70.5 180
Kebbi 52.6 893 63.4 741 60.1 124 71.6 104
Sokoto 19.3 1,048 24.5 828 18.8 155 24.2 120
Zamfara 64.8 1,107 70.9 1,012 74.6 170 81.2 156
South East
Abia 20.0 232 57.6 81 (12.1) 14 * 3
Anambra 37.0 428 53.0 299 38.3 41 (59.0) 27
Ebonyi 31.6 672 41.9 506 36.5 71 48.6 54
Enugu 13.3 321 40.1 106 (7.1) 29 * 6
Imo 11.3 469 31.2 170 8.2 60 (25.6) 19
South South
Akwa Ibom 25.4 292 33.4 222 (29.2) 32 (41.9) 22
Bayelsa 34.6 187 72.5 89 20.6 23 * 8
Cross River 51.4 231 62.2 191 30.4 51 43.1 36
Delta 39.5 553 61.9 353 31.0 58 (48.2) 38
Edo 15.4 311 45.0 106 (11.2) 35 * 7
Rivers 23.6 591 57.3 243 18.1 85 (45.5) 34
South West
Ekiti 16.1 132 52.3 41 (19.3) 14 * 6
Lagos 19.2 705 51.7 263 (18.8) 85 * 23
Ogun 10.7 711 28.7 265 (12.9) 67 * 22
Ondo 31.5 287 48.8 185 (40.1) 27 * 17
Osun 39.8 350 54.7 254 25.1 56 (43.6) 32
Oyo 27.5 645 61.6 288 (15.5) 48 * 17
Wealth quintile
Lowest 43.6 6,807 59.1 5,017 47.7 774 67.0 551
Second 45.8 6,326 60.6 4,780 52.7 799 69.0 611
Middle 47.5 5,769 65.1 4,206 49.8 697 70.8 491
Fourth 39.6 5,003 60.6 3,272 41.0 626 63.5 405
Highest 32.7 4,447 56.7 2,565 29.3 479 55.5 253
Total 42.5 28,352 60.7 19,839 45.5 3,375 66.4 2,310

Notes: Table is based on children and pregnant women who stayed in the household the night before the interview. Figures in parentheses are
based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed.
1
An insecticide-treated net (ITN) is a factory-treated net that does not require any further treatment. In the 2008 NDHS, 2010 NMIS, 2013 NDHS,
and 2015 NMIS, this was known as a long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN).

47
3.14.2 Malaria in Pregnancy

Intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) during pregnancy

Percentage of women who took at least three doses of sulfadoxine-
pyrimethamine (SP)/Fansidar during their most recent pregnancy.
Sample: Women age 15–49 with a live birth or a stillbirth in the 2 years before
the survey

Malaria infection during pregnancy is a major public health problem in Nigeria, with substantial risks for
the mother, her foetus, and the neonate. Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) is
a full therapeutic course of antimalarial medicine given to pregnant women at routine antenatal care visits
to prevent malaria. IPTp helps prevent maternal malaria episodes, maternal and foetal anaemia, placental
parasitaemia, low birth weight, and neonatal mortality.

▪ Twenty-six percent of women age 15–49 with a live birth in the 2 years preceding the survey received
three or more doses of IPTp (Table 21).

Table 21 Use of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) by women during pregnancy

Percentage of women age 15–49 with a live birth and/or a stillbirth in the 2 years preceding the
survey who received one or more doses of SP/Fansidar, received two or more doses of
SP/Fansidar, and received three or more doses of SP/Fansidar during the pregnancy that
resulted in the most recent live birth or stillbirth, according to background characteristics, Nigeria
DHS 2023–24
Number of
women with a
live birth
Percentage Percentage Percentage and/or a
who received who received who received stillbirth in the
one or more two or more three or more 2 years
Background doses of doses of doses of preceding the
characteristic SP/Fansidar SP/Fansidar SP/Fansidar survey
LIVE BIRTHS
Birth order1
1 66.5 53.1 29.6 2,240
2–3 65.0 51.3 25.1 3,771
4–5 62.8 49.1 25.2 2,621
6+ 59.3 44.4 25.5 2,316
Residence
Urban 78.3 63.2 30.6 4,159
Rural 54.6 41.4 23.4 6,790
Zone
North Central 55.3 45.3 25.1 1,731
North East 68.9 53.0 25.5 2,237
North West 54.8 41.3 25.6 4,312
South East 78.0 65.4 30.4 745
South South 78.6 58.3 29.8 831
South West 79.2 65.5 25.6 1,092
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 87.9 76.1 26.7 149
Benue 65.5 54.9 36.6 214
Kogi 38.4 32.5 16.9 170
Kwara 57.5 45.6 14.7 175
Nasarawa 72.6 58.6 35.0 250
Niger 36.9 29.2 17.3 505
Plateau 56.7 46.5 32.3 269
North East
Adamawa 72.3 56.7 34.4 269
Bauchi 63.3 55.0 35.9 730
Borno 79.8 60.0 6.8 424
Gombe 75.8 41.3 11.6 208
Taraba 63.7 56.7 29.4 226
Yobe 64.8 42.8 25.2 380
Continued…

48
 Table 21—Continued
Number of
women with a
live birth
Percentage Percentage Percentage and/or a
who received who received who received stillbirth in the
one or more two or more three or more 2 years
Background doses of doses of doses of preceding the
characteristic SP/Fansidar SP/Fansidar SP/Fansidar survey
North West
Jigawa 65.2 41.2 15.1 507
Kaduna 68.6 53.7 30.6 855
Kano 68.3 59.2 48.6 1,134
Katsina 47.8 35.6 17.5 644
Kebbi 24.2 17.6 8.2 369
Sokoto 31.4 27.0 16.7 408
Zamfara 37.1 9.7 1.3 395
South East
Abia 87.4 72.0 25.7 82
Anambra 93.2 70.4 26.0 145
Ebonyi 79.2 66.5 31.2 245
Enugu 79.9 76.6 43.1 98
Imo 58.1 50.2 27.8 174
South South
Akwa Ibom 81.4 51.9 25.2 119
Bayelsa 81.3 63.2 41.0 69
Cross River 89.6 76.0 51.9 92
Delta 70.8 48.7 20.2 210
Edo 70.2 50.7 24.4 116
Rivers 83.3 65.9 31.5 225
South West
Ekiti 80.6 62.4 35.1 52
Lagos 90.3 77.4 25.9 291
Ogun 80.8 59.7 16.3 270
Ondo 62.5 54.3 30.8 101
Osun 79.3 60.7 20.1 133
Oyo 70.7 65.9 34.2 245
Education
No education 46.7 33.9 18.2 5,012
Primary 69.2 52.9 30.3 1,268
Secondary 78.2 63.7 32.1 3,573
More than secondary 86.4 72.3 38.2 1,096
Wealth quintile
Lowest 44.1 31.1 14.8 2,683
Second 55.5 42.0 24.1 2,489
Middle 65.5 52.0 28.7 2,159
Fourth 79.5 63.9 34.2 1,955
Highest 85.8 71.4 34.9 1,662
Total 63.6 49.7 26.1 10,948
STILLBIRTHS
Total 58.9 42.8 21.5 230
LIVE BIRTHS AND STILLBIRTHS2
Total 63.5 49.5 26.1 11,129

Note: Stillbirths are foetal deaths in pregnancies lasting 28 or more weeks. When pregnancy
duration is reported in months, stillbirths are foetal deaths in pregnancies lasting 7 or more
months.
1
Birth order refers to the order of the birth among the respondent’s live births.
2
For women who had both a live birth and a stillbirth in the 2 years preceding the survey, data
are tabulated for the most recent birth only.

3.14.3 Case Management of Malaria in Children

Care seeking for children under age 5 with a fever

Percentage of children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the
survey for whom advice or treatment was sought from a health provider, a
health facility, or a pharmacy.
Sample: Children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey

49
 Diagnosis of malaria in children under age 5 with a fever
Percentage of children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the
survey who had blood taken from a finger or heel for testing. This is a proxy
measure of diagnostic testing for malaria.
Sample: Children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for children under age 5

with a fever
Percentage of children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the
survey who received ACT.
Sample: Children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey
who took any antimalarial drug

▪ Sixteen percent of children under age 5 had a fever in the 2 weeks before the survey (Table 22).

▪ Among children with a fever, 60% were taken for advice or treatment and 20% had blood taken for
testing.

▪ Among children with a fever who took any antimalarial drug, 57% received ACT.

Table 22 Children with fever and care seeking for, diagnosis of, and treatment of fever
Percentage of children under age 5 with a fever in the 2 weeks preceding the survey; among children under age 5 with fever,
percentage for whom advice or treatment was sought and percentage who had blood taken from a finger or heel; and among children
under age 5 with fever who took any antimalarial drug, percentage who received artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT),
according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Children under age 5 with
fever who took any
Children under age 5 Children under age 5 with fever antimalarial drug
Percentage
Percentage Percentage who had
with a fever in for whom blood taken
the 2 weeks advice or from a finger Percentage
Background preceding the Number of treatment was or heel for Number of who received Number of
1
characteristic survey children sought testing children ACT children
Residence
Urban 15.5 10,352 67.5 24.8 1,608 61.5 851
Rural 16.0 15,935 55.3 17.2 2,556 52.8 957
Zone
North Central 11.0 4,406 68.6 23.2 483 35.9 247
North East 13.7 5,148 60.6 24.8 706 46.9 215
North West 19.7 10,122 53.7 18.3 1,998 51.7 746
South East 19.0 1,943 63.8 12.8 369 78.6 226
South South 17.3 2,027 67.9 20.2 352 75.7 200
South West 9.7 2,640 75.2 25.9 256 71.7 172
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 13.2 393 88.2 38.6 52 (57.2) 42
Benue 8.5 532 (67.2) (34.6) 45 * 21
Kogi 13.8 421 66.7 4.2 58 (42.0) 26
Kwara 3.4 463 * * 16 * 6
Nasarawa 19.3 600 72.8 38.9 116 43.1 68
Niger 10.2 1,360 65.0 12.9 138 (1.7) 61
Plateau 9.1 637 54.3 14.1 58 (59.8) 23
North East
Adamawa 9.5 665 70.3 21.0 63 (44.1) 23
Bauchi 11.7 1,520 38.6 33.9 178 * 55
Borno 10.1 1,023 69.9 46.3 104 (52.2) 35
Gombe 19.3 467 83.8 16.8 90 21.0 27
Taraba 5.1 546 (56.1) (22.6) 28 * 14
Yobe 26.3 927 62.1 13.1 243 59.1 61
North West
Jigawa 14.9 1,144 69.5 17.7 170 69.8 86
Kaduna 34.3 1,859 58.0 10.5 637 43.7 218
Kano 25.7 2,688 45.1 25.3 691 42.6 262
Katsina 12.9 1,586 56.3 14.7 204 78.6 73
Kebbi 16.9 824 41.4 11.5 139 37.4 31
Sokoto 6.3 992 59.1 33.1 62 * 19
Zamfara 9.2 1,030 67.9 29.7 95 (58.9) 58
Continued…

50
 Table 22—Continued
Children under age 5 with
fever who took any
Children under age 5 Children under age 5 with fever antimalarial drug
Percentage
Percentage Percentage who had
with a fever in for whom blood taken
the 2 weeks advice or from a finger Percentage
Background preceding the Number of treatment was or heel for Number of who received Number of
1
characteristic survey children sought testing children ACT children
South East
Abia 26.0 210 60.6 6.6 54 (82.4) 28
Anambra 12.5 395 88.4 6.5 49 71.5 39
Ebonyi 22.8 622 39.7 16.3 142 76.4 65
Enugu 9.2 283 (52.7) (2.1) 26 (55.7) 15
Imo 22.4 434 91.5 17.4 97 86.9 80
South South
Akwa Ibom 41.4 258 70.1 16.3 107 (90.5) 33
Bayelsa 25.9 172 71.3 13.7 45 52.6 33
Cross River 20.1 216 83.4 32.0 43 70.9 34
Delta 11.3 514 65.3 30.9 58 (82.0) 39
Edo 13.3 294 59.1 19.0 39 (71.1) 21
Rivers 10.4 573 58.4 13.6 60 (82.2) 41
South West
Ekiti 10.7 126 (61.8) (17.8) 13 * 7
Lagos 12.1 674 81.5 33.1 82 (74.5) 61
Ogun 12.4 652 79.9 16.1 81 (65.4) 52
Ondo 5.0 266 * * 13 * 7
Osun 11.2 310 (69.1) (40.6) 35 (74.7) 25
Oyo 5.2 611 (63.5) (14.5) 32 * 19
Wealth quintile
Lowest 14.1 6,287 49.9 15.2 888 47.6 269
Second 16.4 5,797 54.9 17.5 950 51.3 350
Middle 17.8 5,361 58.2 18.4 955 57.5 399
Fourth 16.4 4,717 70.0 24.1 772 61.9 406
Highest 14.5 4,125 73.3 29.4 598 62.8 383
Total 15.8 26,287 60.0 20.1 4,164 56.9 1,808

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25
unweighted cases and has been suppressed.
1
Includes advice or treatment from the following sources: public sector, private medical sector, shop, market, and itinerant drug
seller. Excludes advice or treatment from a traditional practitioner.

3.14.4 Media Exposure to Malaria Messages

Tables 23 and 24 show women’s and men’s exposure to malaria messaging in various types of media in
the past 6 months.

▪ Thirty-eight percent of women age 15–49 report having heard malaria messaging in the media in the
past 6 months: 53% heard messaging on the radio, 32% heard messaging via a community health
worker, and 28% were exposed to messaging on television.

▪ Fifty-five percent of men age 15–49 report having heard malaria messaging in the media in the past 6
months: 63% heard messaging on the radio, 36% heard messaging via a community health worker, and
33% were exposed to messaging on television.

▪ Twelve percent of women and 24% of men age 15–49 reported exposure to malaria messaging on
social media.

51
Table 23 Media exposure to malaria messages: Women
Percentage of women age 15–49 who have seen or heard a malaria message in the past 6 months, and among those who have seen or heard a malaria message in the past 6 months, percentage who cite specific
sources for malaria messages, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage
who have Number of
seen or women who
heard a have seen or
malaria Percentage who cite specific sources of exposure to malaria messages: heard a
message in Community Friends/ message in
Background the past 6 Number of Poster/ Newspaper/ Leaflet/ Health care health relative/ Don’t past 6
characteristic months women Radio Television billboard magazine brochure provider worker Social media neighbour Other remember months
Age
15–19 32.1 8,105 51.1 26.0 3.8 1.4 1.8 17.0 29.9 9.3 3.8 1.7 1.0 2,600
20–24 37.3 6,853 52.2 26.1 4.1 1.8 2.3 19.9 30.8 15.9 3.0 0.7 0.6 2,553
25–29 38.6 6,443 50.5 27.0 4.7 1.3 2.5 21.3 32.9 12.9 2.1 0.6 1.1 2,485
30–34 38.9 5,583 53.6 27.5 5.8 1.7 2.9 22.9 32.6 11.1 2.5 0.9 0.9 2,173
35–39 42.2 4,900 52.6 28.1 5.2 1.6 2.5 23.1 33.1 11.6 2.7 0.9 0.8 2,069
40–44 40.5 4,105 59.8 31.5 6.7 2.7 2.8 23.4 35.3 10.7 1.5 0.5 0.6 1,661
45–49 39.1 3,062 55.0 28.3 6.0 3.1 3.2 24.3 34.2 7.6 2.2 0.9 0.4 1,198
Residence
Urban 44.5 18,846 53.9 36.9 6.6 2.6 3.2 23.9 27.7 15.9 2.4 1.1 0.5 8,390
Rural 31.4 20,204 52.0 15.0 2.8 0.8 1.5 17.7 38.5 6.0 2.9 0.7 1.2 6,351
Zone
North Central 30.9 7,068 33.0 21.1 5.9 3.0 3.1 31.0 51.1 8.0 4.7 1.6 0.7 2,187
North East 44.9 6,213 48.0 15.2 4.8 1.1 2.4 21.9 41.8 4.9 4.7 0.6 0.6 2,793
North West 30.4 12,434 66.0 14.0 1.8 0.4 0.3 8.1 25.8 3.7 0.7 0.6 1.3 3,786
South East 31.6 3,280 59.0 50.9 4.5 1.0 2.4 12.5 15.0 30.8 6.5 3.5 0.7 1,037
South South 62.5 4,416 47.3 42.3 5.4 1.7 2.1 26.2 25.7 17.7 1.0 0.5 0.8 2,760
South West 38.6 5,640 61.7 43.1 9.5 4.6 6.3 31.4 29.6 21.0 1.3 0.5 0.4 2,178
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 35.2 764 25.8 7.3 31.9 14.4 14.2 61.2 84.8 7.6 0.9 0.4 0.9 269
Benue 51.9 1,008 42.1 24.7 1.4 3.2 1.3 44.1 48.3 8.7 9.4 0.0 1.4 523
Kogi 25.4 604 13.4 22.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 31.3 33.8 23.5 6.2 6.8 0.0 153
Kwara 33.4 790 39.5 24.3 3.9 2.0 0.7 11.9 64.1 3.7 0.0 0.4 0.0 264
Nasarawa 46.2 963 30.9 31.8 3.4 1.3 2.3 31.9 15.2 10.4 9.2 4.9 0.2 444
Niger 19.2 1,845 12.9 5.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 84.3 1.5 0.0 0.0 1.5 354
Plateau 16.5 1,093 69.6 28.6 6.3 0.2 5.9 32.1 28.0 6.7 0.2 0.2 0.0 180
North East
Adamawa 66.5 932 23.2 13.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 19.8 73.4 6.9 0.5 0.1 0.7 620
Bauchi 49.0 1,838 87.9 16.5 3.1 0.7 0.4 11.9 12.6 4.6 0.4 0.2 0.8 900
Borno 42.9 1,073 36.5 15.4 12.2 1.1 2.8 42.9 56.1 2.3 1.4 0.0 0.0 460
Gombe 3.1 610 (90.4) (6.4) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) (8.6) (4.6) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) 19
Taraba 41.1 806 56.5 22.7 14.8 5.8 14.3 33.9 45.6 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 331
Yobe 48.5 954 7.2 10.6 0.5 0.2 0.0 15.5 40.8 6.9 25.9 3.2 0.9 463
Continued…

52
Table 23—Continued
Percentage
who have Number of
seen or women who
heard a have seen or
malaria Percentage who cite specific sources of exposure to malaria messages: heard a
message in Community Friends/ message in
Background the past 6 Number of Poster/ Newspaper/ Leaflet/ Health care health relative/ Don’t past 6
characteristic months women Radio Television billboard magazine brochure provider worker Social media neighbour Other remember months
North West
Jigawa 11.2 1,258 70.9 14.7 4.2 0.0 0.0 23.5 2.6 4.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 141
Kaduna 18.1 2,420 49.5 24.1 0.4 0.0 0.0 22.1 12.2 6.2 3.8 1.8 0.0 437
Kano 46.6 3,660 87.0 16.4 2.5 0.6 0.4 4.4 4.8 3.5 0.3 0.5 1.0 1,706
Katsina 16.1 1,778 59.7 16.1 2.8 0.0 0.0 16.0 31.7 7.4 0.6 0.5 2.4 287
Kebbi 49.6 925 34.1 10.1 1.2 0.2 0.4 1.8 74.8 3.4 0.2 0.0 3.6 459
Sokoto 33.0 1,238 17.9 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 86.6 1.8 1.0 0.2 1.4 408
Zamfara 30.1 1,154 85.8 7.6 0.6 0.7 1.0 11.6 14.8 1.0 0.0 0.8 0.8 348
South East
Abia 42.9 418 58.1 32.7 3.2 0.4 2.9 20.5 11.8 11.1 1.3 2.0 0.9 179
Anambra 40.7 707 35.2 56.3 5.1 0.3 2.1 10.5 18.9 36.6 22.5 7.7 1.1 288
Ebonyi 16.6 950 62.5 23.9 7.3 0.4 0.7 6.4 11.1 5.5 0.0 5.8 1.0 158
Enugu 20.9 502 42.0 44.9 11.2 3.2 9.2 11.4 15.3 30.3 0.6 0.8 0.7 105
Imo 43.6 704 86.0 72.3 1.0 1.6 0.9 13.2 15.2 50.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 307
South South
Akwa Ibom 68.9 570 62.0 18.8 2.2 0.4 1.4 38.9 11.3 14.3 3.1 1.5 0.2 393
Bayelsa 40.1 317 46.3 39.6 1.2 2.8 0.3 25.4 20.0 29.1 0.9 0.4 1.9 127
Cross River 81.5 524 47.6 43.2 7.7 0.7 0.5 1.6 39.7 4.8 0.0 0.3 0.0 427
Delta 49.2 1,010 16.8 33.8 9.1 0.6 0.9 39.6 13.2 17.3 0.9 0.2 0.4 497
Edo 53.8 661 36.4 58.5 1.2 1.8 1.4 31.2 32.7 23.3 0.0 0.4 0.3 355
Rivers 72.0 1,333 61.0 50.3 5.9 2.9 4.1 23.1 30.1 21.5 0.9 0.3 1.7 960
South West
Ekiti 20.6 276 44.8 20.5 10.5 3.2 3.2 12.2 14.7 26.7 1.2 0.0 1.3 57
Lagos 27.9 1,586 57.2 78.2 12.7 9.9 8.8 25.0 48.7 41.8 0.5 0.7 0.0 442
Ogun 35.4 1,288 60.1 28.6 3.8 0.2 1.0 50.4 29.8 13.5 1.6 0.0 0.9 456
Ondo 49.2 603 49.6 24.5 3.6 0.0 1.8 16.2 37.0 11.5 2.6 0.9 0.6 297
Osun 42.5 627 43.6 17.2 1.3 2.1 1.3 43.4 30.8 17.2 2.1 0.3 0.2 266
Oyo 52.5 1,260 79.9 50.2 17.0 7.2 12.5 26.0 14.3 17.6 0.8 0.7 0.2 661
Education
No education 28.5 13,404 48.4 4.8 2.1 0.2 0.7 14.3 43.7 0.8 3.3 0.4 1.3 3,827
Primary 36.5 4,359 55.0 18.5 3.7 0.5 0.9 23.3 32.7 3.1 3.7 1.4 1.3 1,593
Secondary 41.6 15,948 55.9 33.7 5.0 1.6 2.6 23.1 28.4 12.3 2.5 1.1 0.6 6,639
More than
secondary 50.3 5,339 51.5 49.7 9.8 5.4 5.4 25.5 25.9 30.7 1.4 0.9 0.2 2,683
Wealth quintile
Lowest 27.2 6,724 38.3 2.4 1.6 0.5 0.8 15.0 53.2 0.5 3.6 0.2 1.8 1,829
Second 28.3 7,348 51.6 6.9 2.9 0.5 1.4 19.8 38.7 1.4 3.2 0.4 0.9 2,080
Middle 37.6 7,812 58.6 18.0 3.5 0.8 1.6 19.5 32.6 6.7 2.9 1.0 1.0 2,940
Fourth 44.8 8,435 59.0 33.8 4.8 1.5 2.2 21.5 25.5 12.4 2.8 1.5 0.6 3,781
Highest 47.1 8,731 51.0 50.0 8.7 4.1 4.6 25.8 26.1 24.7 1.5 0.9 0.3 4,111
Total 37.7 39,050 53.1 27.5 5.0 1.8 2.5 21.3 32.4 11.7 2.6 0.9 0.8 14,741

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases.

53
Table 24 Media exposure to malaria messages: Men

Percentage of men age 15–49 who have seen or heard a malaria message in the past 6 months, and among those who have seen or heard a malaria message in the past 6 months, percentage who cite specific sources for
malaria messages, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage
who have Number of
seen or men who
heard a have seen or
malaria Percentage who cite specific sources of exposure to malaria messages: heard a
message in Friends/ message in
Background the past 6 Number of Poster/ Newspaper/ Leaflet/ Health care Community relative/ Don’t past 6
characteristic months men Radio Television billboard magazine brochure provider health worker Social media neighbour Other remember months
Age
15–19 46.8 2,230 51.4 29.5 6.9 3.1 3.5 15.2 38.0 18.6 4.0 3.2 2.0 1,043
20–24 53.1 1,590 56.1 28.0 8.7 4.2 5.1 17.4 34.9 31.5 2.2 1.0 1.7 844
25–29 54.3 1,475 63.1 29.1 7.5 4.9 3.7 18.8 33.5 29.6 1.9 1.2 1.0 800
30–34 54.5 1,427 64.8 39.6 11.1 7.1 5.5 23.8 36.1 26.2 0.9 1.2 1.0 778
35–39 59.2 1,640 66.3 31.7 7.8 7.2 4.9 18.5 33.0 22.7 2.1 0.9 0.8 971
40–44 60.3 1,439 69.6 37.5 9.0 5.3 3.7 21.0 36.7 21.0 1.1 1.5 0.3 867
45–49 58.8 1,127 71.1 38.5 9.5 6.4 4.4 20.8 36.0 21.2 0.5 1.8 1.4 663
Residence
Urban 60.8 5,397 62.2 44.6 10.7 6.7 5.0 20.3 34.2 30.9 1.4 1.0 0.4 3,281
Rural 48.5 5,531 63.2 19.0 5.9 3.8 3.6 17.6 37.1 15.9 2.5 2.3 2.1 2,685
Zone
North Central 42.0 2,107 66.2 38.7 5.3 6.8 2.4 12.2 18.5 18.3 0.7 0.6 0.6 886
North East 56.6 1,720 47.1 20.1 12.5 7.6 5.8 20.4 47.1 20.5 1.3 0.9 5.2 974
North West 56.6 3,459 68.4 22.2 9.7 4.1 5.8 19.9 40.3 19.0 2.4 2.9 0.4 1,957
South East 61.5 849 70.5 48.4 13.4 7.3 3.8 11.4 12.2 25.4 4.2 3.2 0.5 522
South South 58.4 1,231 58.7 32.5 5.3 3.6 3.6 19.6 35.4 19.5 2.4 0.6 0.6 719
South West 58.2 1,560 61.9 56.8 4.6 4.5 2.6 26.8 42.7 47.8 1.2 0.2 0.0 909
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 55.5 267 37.5 33.1 12.2 0.8 0.9 20.5 11.8 22.1 0.6 0.0 0.0 148
Benue 47.9 285 85.0 44.1 0.0 6.6 0.0 1.1 7.8 12.0 0.0 1.1 0.0 137
Kogi 88.5 206 72.2 14.8 0.3 5.8 0.0 7.4 41.9 30.6 2.4 0.0 0.8 183
Kwara 37.8 275 57.1 35.7 12.1 14.6 12.7 39.4 6.6 12.6 0.0 3.2 4.0 104
Nasarawa 52.4 301 90.3 73.9 6.0 11.2 0.9 3.3 7.9 9.4 0.4 0.0 0.0 158
Niger 17.3 489 53.6 30.1 6.0 5.6 0.0 5.1 35.2 26.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 85
Plateau 25.6 284 50.3 37.8 2.1 2.5 8.0 17.0 14.4 9.4 0.3 0.9 0.0 73
North East
Adamawa 79.3 276 42.7 12.6 0.0 2.0 0.0 18.2 42.9 10.9 5.1 2.7 4.6 219
Bauchi 37.1 570 52.3 21.6 13.5 7.5 2.8 19.8 18.8 32.4 0.0 0.8 15.2 211
Borno 48.2 246 40.6 4.5 7.7 0.0 0.0 1.1 52.3 15.0 0.6 0.8 0.0 119
Gombe 85.5 202 50.8 21.4 13.5 11.3 13.5 14.8 69.1 22.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 173
Taraba 50.8 232 25.7 18.2 3.2 1.7 0.0 13.0 56.4 30.3 0.0 0.0 6.7 118
Yobe 69.0 193 66.4 43.8 42.5 24.5 20.4 56.2 57.1 11.8 0.0 0.0 0.7 133
North West
Jigawa 62.1 330 59.7 17.1 6.6 4.0 3.9 21.5 52.8 19.8 1.0 0.5 1.2 205
Kaduna 80.2 705 74.6 32.1 9.8 6.8 15.5 31.7 37.4 15.1 0.0 2.9 0.4 565
Kano 76.7 1,029 71.5 22.0 12.5 3.0 1.7 5.0 36.2 25.7 3.5 3.2 0.4 788
Katsina 14.3 479 (40.3) (5.3) (7.7) (0.0) (2.0) (12.2) (65.5) (23.2) (4.4) (0.0) (0.0) 68
Kebbi 16.1 231 (93.0) (27.4) (7.5) (0.7) (0.0) (1.7) (5.2) (14.6) (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) 37
Sokoto 38.8 357 72.6 14.1 1.8 0.8 0.0 9.6 27.9 2.5 9.8 10.7 0.0 138
Zamfara 47.0 329 44.2 6.7 7.7 5.8 1.8 67.6 63.8 12.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 154
Continued…

54
Table 24—Continued
Percentage
who have Number of
seen or men who
heard a have seen or
malaria Percentage who cite specific sources of exposure to malaria messages: heard a
message in Friends/ message in
Background the past 6 Number of Poster/ Newspaper/ Leaflet/ Health care Community relative/ Don’t past 6
characteristic months men Radio Television billboard magazine brochure provider health worker Social media neighbour Other remember months
South East
Abia 66.7 122 90.1 62.9 38.0 29.1 19.5 20.2 6.1 4.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 81
Anambra 61.0 191 48.6 53.4 23.1 3.1 2.6 15.3 6.8 10.7 0.0 0.7 0.0 117
Ebonyi 55.7 189 77.3 17.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.7 33.9 28.2 0.9 0.9 0.6 105
Enugu 41.1 135 54.1 42.3 5.0 1.9 0.0 6.7 2.7 22.0 4.4 0.0 0.0 56
Imo 76.9 212 77.7 59.6 5.8 6.0 0.6 10.7 8.4 45.9 11.3 9.2 1.2 163
South South
Akwa Ibom 78.7 178 86.0 29.0 6.6 2.7 5.5 11.7 24.1 8.2 0.0 0.4 0.0 140
Bayelsa 40.6 100 67.5 41.3 7.5 10.8 4.4 6.7 32.4 28.0 2.1 0.8 0.0 41
Cross River 89.4 140 61.2 29.4 9.2 6.0 5.9 27.6 55.0 18.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 125
Delta 70.2 249 25.8 36.1 2.2 3.2 0.7 23.6 49.3 24.9 7.2 1.0 1.6 175
Edo 37.1 197 51.1 22.4 3.1 0.0 1.7 36.9 46.5 8.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 73
Rivers 44.8 366 69.7 36.3 4.9 2.9 4.1 11.6 11.2 27.8 2.5 1.2 0.8 164
South West
Ekiti 49.6 68 81.8 13.4 22.4 4.8 5.8 9.1 37.7 44.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 34
Lagos 58.1 523 63.6 88.6 2.1 5.6 2.3 62.6 78.3 79.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 304
Ogun 54.4 321 21.3 36.3 5.2 4.0 2.3 11.9 43.2 39.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 175
Ondo 49.0 188 84.4 53.7 0.9 0.8 0.0 2.1 5.1 20.1 0.8 0.0 0.0 92
Osun 55.8 179 74.2 23.8 7.3 1.0 0.9 9.9 25.5 12.4 7.4 0.8 0.0 100
Oyo 72.7 281 74.5 51.5 5.1 6.8 4.7 8.6 15.7 37.6 1.3 0.4 0.0 204
Education
No education 41.8 2,462 60.0 10.4 7.7 2.1 3.0 18.5 45.9 5.3 2.6 1.4 3.5 1,028
Primary 50.2 1,159 63.2 19.9 4.2 1.8 2.4 18.2 40.2 12.8 3.2 1.8 1.7 582
Secondary 56.5 5,066 63.2 33.5 8.0 4.6 4.2 18.6 34.3 24.3 2.1 2.0 0.7 2,864
More than secondary 66.6 2,241 63.2 53.1 11.7 10.5 6.4 21.0 28.8 41.4 0.7 0.8 0.3 1,492
Wealth quintile
Lowest 41.4 1,776 52.6 7.8 4.8 1.5 1.8 16.1 48.7 6.7 3.4 1.9 3.7 735
Second 45.7 1,902 62.2 9.1 5.1 3.1 5.0 20.7 41.7 11.5 2.8 2.9 2.0 870
Middle 54.2 2,114 66.2 19.4 6.9 5.2 2.8 18.7 40.1 17.8 1.1 1.4 1.1 1,145
Fourth 62.2 2,523 68.2 39.4 11.2 6.8 6.8 17.3 26.9 26.8 1.9 2.0 0.6 1,569
Highest 63.0 2,612 59.6 60.7 10.5 7.1 4.0 21.6 31.3 40.6 1.4 0.5 0.3 1,646
Total 15–49 54.6 10,927 62.6 33.1 8.5 5.4 4.4 19.1 35.5 24.2 1.9 1.6 1.2 5,966
50–59 60.7 1,277 73.0 36.3 8.3 7.8 4.1 23.9 38.0 15.6 1.3 1.5 0.4 775
Total 15–59 55.2 12,204 63.8 33.5 8.5 5.7 4.3 19.7 35.8 23.2 1.9 1.6 1.1 6,741

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases.

55
3.14.5 Knowledge of Ways to Avoid Malaria

Tables 25 and 26 show women’s and men’s knowledge around malaria prevention.

▪ Eighty-six percent of women and 89% of men age 15–49 say that there are ways that malaria can be
prevented.

▪ Sleeping under a mosquito net or ITN is the most commonly known malaria prevention method,
reported by 93% of women and 94% of men.

56
Table 25 Knowledge of ways to avoid malaria: Women
Percentage of women age 15–49 who state there are ways to avoid getting malaria, and among women who state there are ways to avoid getting malaria, percentage reporting specific ways to avoid getting malaria, according to
background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage Percentage who report specific ways to avoid getting malaria Number of
who state there women who
are ways to Sleep under Take Keep Put mosquito state there are
Background avoid getting Number of mosquito net or Use mosquito preventive Spray house Fill in stagnant surroundings screen on ways to avoid
characteristic malaria women ITN repellent medication with insecticide water (puddles) clean windows Other Don’t know getting malaria
Age
15–19 83.7 8,105 91.7 20.4 18.2 30.6 8.7 26.5 5.7 0.8 0.3 6,780
20–24 86.2 6,853 93.3 22.4 19.4 29.7 9.2 28.2 6.7 0.8 0.1 5,907
25–29 86.7 6,443 93.1 21.7 20.1 31.1 8.7 29.6 7.1 0.7 0.0 5,584
30–34 86.3 5,583 93.7 22.7 21.0 32.5 9.6 31.1 8.6 0.5 0.1 4,816
35–39 87.3 4,900 92.0 21.2 22.0 33.1 10.7 31.7 8.5 0.7 0.1 4,277
40–44 86.5 4,105 91.7 23.0 23.2 32.4 11.9 33.0 9.0 0.8 0.2 3,552
45–49 85.6 3,062 90.9 22.8 25.2 33.0 11.2 33.2 8.5 0.9 0.2 2,619
Residence
Urban 86.8 18,846 90.2 25.0 25.4 42.9 13.4 37.7 11.7 0.9 0.2 16,351
Rural 85.1 20,204 94.7 18.9 16.2 20.7 6.2 22.4 3.4 0.6 0.1 17,184
Zone
North Central 82.8 7,068 93.2 21.5 22.4 44.4 12.5 38.3 5.7 1.4 0.0 5,852
North East 83.1 6,213 97.8 33.7 16.4 25.5 10.3 20.8 4.5 0.7 0.1 5,164
North West 92.7 12,434 97.5 20.2 9.3 16.1 3.3 16.2 2.4 0.0 0.0 11,530
South East 81.3 3,280 85.2 10.9 32.9 27.6 5.8 37.2 5.2 2.6 0.2 2,667
South South 86.8 4,416 87.6 13.0 26.5 40.6 13.0 46.5 15.8 0.5 0.4 3,832
South West 79.6 5,640 81.1 27.1 40.4 55.9 21.2 45.6 20.4 0.8 0.3 4,492
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 98.6 764 94.8 43.8 26.9 68.4 6.0 36.0 6.9 0.0 0.0 753
Benue 96.4 1,008 98.3 37.6 18.4 24.5 5.5 30.9 6.9 4.8 0.0 972
Kogi 55.1 604 83.6 10.0 29.0 21.8 4.8 35.8 18.0 5.4 0.6 333
Kwara 73.7 790 83.3 13.4 9.8 33.8 28.1 50.3 4.2 0.0 0.0 582
Nasarawa 93.4 963 92.7 5.7 9.1 45.1 7.0 22.4 3.2 2.0 0.1 899
Niger 70.1 1,845 93.2 11.5 32.0 53.0 15.3 45.6 2.6 0.1 0.0 1,294
Plateau 93.2 1,093 96.3 24.8 27.7 47.3 19.0 45.9 6.5 0.1 0.0 1,019
North East
Adamawa 89.1 932 99.1 1.4 3.6 36.0 5.1 20.3 2.6 0.2 0.3 831
Bauchi 80.1 1,838 97.9 32.5 11.7 21.8 3.8 13.2 2.5 0.6 0.0 1,472
Borno 81.8 1,073 96.8 82.5 33.1 30.8 34.7 40.1 15.8 0.0 0.0 878
Gombe 97.1 610 99.2 28.1 13.0 20.6 9.3 36.3 2.5 0.0 0.0 593
Taraba 57.5 806 94.5 42.1 34.3 31.3 12.0 11.7 3.7 0.0 0.0 463
Yobe 97.1 954 98.1 17.8 12.9 17.2 1.7 9.4 0.4 3.0 0.4 927
North West
Jigawa 97.3 1,258 99.9 37.8 9.3 9.2 3.5 14.4 0.7 0.0 0.0 1,224
Kaduna 97.1 2,420 96.5 16.6 8.2 30.5 6.4 18.2 0.6 0.0 0.1 2,351
Kano 86.5 3,660 94.8 20.1 13.2 16.5 3.6 16.4 1.1 0.1 0.1 3,164
Katsina 95.2 1,778 99.1 2.9 5.8 10.9 2.7 14.6 1.7 0.0 0.0 1,693
Kebbi 92.1 925 98.2 37.7 3.2 5.7 0.1 7.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 852
Sokoto 92.5 1,238 99.9 13.7 16.2 19.2 0.3 11.3 0.8 0.0 0.0 1,145
Zamfara 95.4 1,154 99.2 28.4 3.2 4.3 2.6 27.1 16.0 0.0 0.0 1,101
Continued…

57
Table 25—Continued
Percentage Percentage who report specific ways to avoid getting malaria Number of
who state there women who
are ways to Sleep under Take Keep Put mosquito state there are
Background avoid getting Number of mosquito net or Use mosquito preventive Spray house Fill in stagnant surroundings screen on ways to avoid
characteristic malaria women ITN repellent medication with insecticide water (puddles) clean windows Other Don’t know getting malaria
South East
Abia 81.3 418 65.8 7.6 47.7 27.6 1.3 45.5 3.7 7.4 0.3 340
Anambra 97.3 707 82.0 13.5 16.4 44.2 2.2 41.2 9.7 3.2 0.0 688
Ebonyi 70.9 950 87.3 1.4 26.3 4.9 4.1 19.5 2.0 1.3 0.4 673
Enugu 56.4 502 93.3 21.9 20.4 54.6 14.7 40.6 9.1 0.7 0.2 283
Imo 97.0 704 92.5 14.9 53.9 22.1 9.5 45.0 3.0 1.8 0.3 682
South South
Akwa Ibom 86.9 570 83.0 4.0 32.6 19.0 25.4 43.2 1.0 1.8 0.6 495
Bayelsa 60.9 317 87.1 11.8 40.9 31.9 7.6 30.5 3.5 0.0 0.7 193
Cross River 96.8 524 95.4 7.4 34.1 10.0 11.6 39.6 2.3 0.1 0.0 508
Delta 92.9 1,010 94.2 17.0 18.7 56.9 9.3 34.0 14.2 0.1 0.0 939
Edo 84.1 661 77.4 21.3 28.7 39.7 13.1 49.1 20.3 0.5 0.7 556
Rivers 85.6 1,333 85.6 12.3 23.3 52.0 12.2 62.8 29.3 0.6 0.7 1,141
South West
Ekiti 73.9 276 68.1 8.1 21.3 29.8 10.3 30.2 2.3 3.0 0.0 204
Lagos 85.0 1,586 92.4 38.7 46.7 83.9 43.6 64.3 35.8 0.0 0.3 1,348
Ogun 73.5 1,288 60.9 21.5 54.8 50.5 8.5 36.4 13.3 0.4 0.0 947
Ondo 81.8 603 86.9 17.7 26.9 29.1 2.4 27.9 11.9 0.4 0.6 493
Osun 86.3 627 92.4 5.9 16.3 35.6 12.3 62.6 4.5 0.2 0.0 541
Oyo 76.1 1,260 78.7 37.2 41.9 52.7 19.5 31.2 22.8 2.5 0.6 959
Education
No education 83.5 13,404 96.0 22.3 11.8 16.0 5.0 16.2 2.7 0.3 0.1 11,198
Primary 84.4 4,359 91.6 16.6 19.6 25.8 6.7 25.1 5.0 0.8 0.3 3,678
Secondary 86.1 15,948 90.1 20.9 24.5 37.5 11.1 35.5 9.1 1.0 0.2 13,738
More than secondary 92.2 5,339 91.8 27.6 31.0 54.5 18.9 48.5 15.5 1.0 0.2 4,921
Wealth quintile
Lowest 83.1 6,724 96.5 23.3 10.5 12.2 4.3 13.4 2.0 0.3 0.1 5,589
Second 83.6 7,348 95.2 20.1 15.3 19.6 6.6 21.6 3.5 0.4 0.1 6,144
Middle 85.5 7,812 93.5 19.6 18.3 24.8 7.9 27.4 4.6 0.7 0.2 6,681
Fourth 86.9 8,435 90.4 20.4 23.3 37.0 10.3 34.7 8.0 1.1 0.2 7,330
Highest 89.2 8,731 88.5 25.6 31.8 55.4 17.0 45.5 16.3 1.0 0.2 7,791
Total 85.9 39,050 92.5 21.9 20.7 31.5 9.7 29.8 7.5 0.8 0.1 33,535

58
Table 26 Knowledge of ways to avoid malaria: Men
Percentage of men age 15–49 who state there are ways to avoid getting malaria, and among men who state there are ways to avoid getting malaria, percentage reporting specific ways to avoid getting malaria, according to
background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage Percentage who report specific ways to avoid getting malaria Number of
who state men who state
there are ways Sleep under Take Fill in stagnant Keep Put mosquito there are ways
Background to avoid Number of mosquito net Use mosquito preventive Spray house water surroundings screen on to avoid getting
characteristic getting malaria men or ITN repellent medication with insecticide (puddles) clean windows Other Don’t know malaria
Age
15–19 85.6 2,230 93.3 35.0 21.9 34.8 9.6 25.7 8.1 1.0 0.1 1,908
20–24 89.0 1,590 92.5 30.9 24.4 34.9 10.5 26.9 8.4 0.9 0.4 1,415
25–29 90.5 1,475 94.1 35.0 24.1 35.8 9.7 31.0 8.7 1.0 0.2 1,334
30–34 89.4 1,427 95.3 35.2 22.3 39.0 11.5 37.2 12.5 0.9 0.0 1,275
35–39 92.5 1,640 94.3 35.5 24.6 34.9 11.1 36.8 10.2 0.6 0.1 1,517
40–44 90.5 1,439 94.9 32.2 24.8 35.6 10.5 37.0 10.7 1.0 0.0 1,303
45–49 90.4 1,127 94.6 32.3 24.3 37.4 13.0 37.9 12.8 0.4 0.2 1,019
Residence
Urban 91.7 5,397 92.9 35.8 25.6 42.5 13.2 38.4 12.1 0.7 0.1 4,948
Rural 87.2 5,531 95.3 31.9 21.7 29.1 8.2 26.7 7.7 1.0 0.2 4,824
Zone
North Central 90.8 2,107 93.9 29.5 23.4 44.0 11.0 31.4 11.3 0.9 0.0 1,913
North East 89.7 1,720 96.2 33.7 15.9 23.9 7.8 24.3 7.0 0.0 0.2 1,544
North West 88.0 3,459 96.6 45.7 23.7 31.9 9.8 24.1 8.5 0.6 0.1 3,044
South East 88.3 849 92.6 15.7 25.7 50.3 7.2 37.3 12.5 4.7 0.4 750
South South 92.7 1,231 89.2 24.2 29.0 38.9 15.3 49.3 20.1 0.8 0.1 1,142
South West 88.4 1,560 91.2 31.9 27.2 36.6 13.7 46.0 4.9 0.1 0.2 1,380
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 98.3 267 83.9 27.7 5.9 41.3 6.6 29.0 20.5 0.0 0.0 263
Benue 97.6 285 91.9 3.5 17.4 19.2 3.3 12.7 8.1 5.4 0.0 279
Kogi 98.3 206 95.0 5.9 19.3 28.4 4.8 40.0 5.2 0.0 0.0 203
Kwara 61.8 275 94.4 50.6 19.6 25.3 13.0 24.5 6.7 0.0 0.0 170
Nasarawa 85.9 301 94.1 43.5 12.8 25.9 3.7 17.0 4.7 0.5 0.0 259
Niger 97.5 489 98.5 50.2 47.4 83.3 27.0 43.8 10.2 0.0 0.0 477
Plateau 93.1 284 96.3 12.3 19.6 43.4 5.1 43.2 21.4 0.6 0.0 264
North East
Adamawa 97.8 276 96.5 30.1 9.9 15.8 5.3 19.3 3.2 0.0 0.5 270
Bauchi 83.8 570 97.8 22.8 8.4 26.9 2.1 17.3 4.9 0.0 0.0 478
Borno 91.6 246 94.0 49.7 1.3 8.0 3.8 23.3 4.6 0.0 0.0 226
Gombe 97.4 202 99.8 45.6 37.3 42.2 33.8 46.4 16.8 0.0 0.0 197
Taraba 92.5 232 96.5 14.7 17.4 19.2 3.5 19.9 10.6 0.0 0.9 215
Yobe 81.8 193 89.0 60.6 40.5 35.3 8.6 33.4 5.9 0.0 0.0 158
North West
Jigawa 93.2 330 94.4 36.6 21.5 10.2 4.2 9.4 2.9 1.4 0.3 307
Kaduna 96.7 705 93.1 28.3 32.2 24.0 8.6 31.2 6.6 0.0 0.0 682
Kano 99.1 1,029 98.4 65.5 17.2 40.6 13.8 20.0 12.1 0.9 0.2 1,019
Katsina 81.2 479 98.5 39.4 24.3 55.8 2.1 22.8 3.3 0.0 0.0 389
Kebbi 94.9 231 94.6 68.4 37.3 38.5 27.5 46.2 26.4 0.0 0.0 220
Sokoto 59.7 357 96.7 35.7 8.7 15.8 4.4 27.0 0.5 2.8 0.0 213
Zamfara 65.2 329 100.0 17.6 31.2 12.1 3.9 18.5 4.6 0.0 0.0 214
Continued…

59
Table 26—Continued
Percentage Percentage who report specific ways to avoid getting malaria Number of
who state men who state
there are ways Sleep under Take Fill in stagnant Keep Put mosquito there are ways
Background to avoid Number of mosquito net Use mosquito preventive Spray house water surroundings screen on to avoid getting
characteristic getting malaria men or ITN repellent medication with insecticide (puddles) clean windows Other Don’t know malaria
South East
Abia 74.7 122 100.0 38.4 25.9 23.9 22.8 2.8 1.0 0.0 0.0 91
Anambra 99.3 191 97.6 24.6 17.8 77.6 12.9 22.0 24.6 1.8 0.0 190
Ebonyi 91.2 189 99.7 9.0 15.3 30.2 0.6 69.4 2.8 1.5 0.0 172
Enugu 81.5 135 93.1 14.4 4.1 49.2 3.8 40.5 36.0 1.1 0.0 110
Imo 87.8 212 77.0 2.6 55.9 54.7 1.7 38.3 0.9 15.0 1.5 186
South South
Akwa Ibom 89.5 178 94.4 2.5 17.6 18.2 14.7 76.0 3.1 0.7 0.0 160
Bayelsa 89.3 100 65.5 45.6 33.2 37.2 9.5 32.4 26.5 1.1 0.0 89
Cross River 93.6 140 96.9 11.6 35.8 42.7 7.2 45.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 131
Delta 91.1 249 89.3 24.2 30.6 49.9 21.0 48.9 34.9 2.7 0.0 227
Edo 96.4 197 92.7 11.6 22.8 55.9 1.4 39.1 17.2 0.0 0.3 190
Rivers 94.0 366 88.1 40.5 32.8 30.9 24.2 48.9 24.7 0.4 0.0 344
South West
Ekiti 67.1 68 87.8 28.2 39.8 27.5 28.9 81.6 27.2 0.0 0.0 46
Lagos 88.1 523 93.1 51.4 27.7 48.2 20.6 67.1 3.5 0.0 0.0 460
Ogun 85.6 321 87.0 23.0 40.1 40.2 2.1 50.2 3.7 0.0 0.5 275
Ondo 91.9 188 89.7 39.7 9.8 9.5 0.0 2.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 173
Osun 87.9 179 97.4 12.3 22.1 48.0 17.0 33.6 2.0 0.6 0.0 157
Oyo 95.5 281 90.3 14.6 25.5 25.2 18.2 35.3 8.6 0.0 0.5 268
Education
No education 81.2 2,462 95.1 35.3 19.1 23.8 8.0 20.1 5.0 0.6 0.1 2,000
Primary 90.6 1,159 94.6 33.0 23.5 32.3 6.4 28.0 6.9 0.7 0.5 1,051
Secondary 91.1 5,066 92.8 30.6 24.0 36.5 10.4 32.6 9.9 1.1 0.1 4,614
More than secondary 94.0 2,241 95.4 40.2 27.6 47.8 16.3 46.8 16.4 0.6 0.0 2,107
Wealth quintile
Lowest 83.7 1,776 96.2 33.5 18.4 19.6 6.3 19.2 3.7 0.6 0.3 1,486
Second 87.4 1,902 95.0 28.9 20.5 27.2 7.1 26.0 6.2 0.8 0.1 1,663
Middle 89.8 2,114 94.0 35.0 23.9 32.4 9.3 28.8 7.6 0.8 0.2 1,898
Fourth 91.3 2,523 93.8 33.9 26.3 40.7 11.2 36.2 11.3 1.3 0.1 2,303
Highest 92.7 2,612 92.4 36.7 26.5 50.0 16.6 44.9 16.9 0.6 0.1 2,421
Total 15–49 89.4 10,927 94.1 33.9 23.7 35.9 10.7 32.6 10.0 0.8 0.1 9,772
50–59 91.8 1,277 93.0 33.0 27.5 33.0 11.1 35.2 8.4 1.5 0.1 1,172
Total 15–59 89.7 12,204 93.9 33.8 24.1 35.6 10.8 32.9 9.8 0.9 0.1 10,944

60
3.15 HIV

3.15.1 Prevention Knowledge among Young People

Knowledge about HIV prevention

Knowing that consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse and having
just one uninfected faithful partner can reduce the chances of getting HIV,
knowing that a healthy-looking person can have HIV, and rejecting two major
misconceptions about HIV transmission: HIV can be transmitted by mosquito
bites and a person can become infected by sharing food with a person who
has HIV.
Sample: Women and men age 15–24

Knowledge of how HIV is transmitted is crucial in enabling people to avoid HIV infection, and this is
especially true for young people, who are often at greater risk because they may have shorter relationships
with more partners or engage in other risky behaviours.

▪ In Nigeria, 30% of women age 15–24 have comprehensive knowledge around HIV prevention (Table
27).

▪ Twenty-two percent of men age 15–24 have comprehensive knowledge around HIV prevention.

▪ Knowledge about HIV prevention increases sharply with increasing education: 56% of women and
43% of men with more than a secondary education have knowledge of HIV prevention, as compared
with only 15% of women and 9% of men with no education.

Table 27 Knowledge about HIV prevention methods among young people

Percentage of young women and young men age 15–24 with knowledge about HIV prevention,
according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Women age 15–24 Men age 15–24
Percentage Percentage
with knowledge with knowledge
Background about HIV Number of about HIV Number of
characteristic prevention1 women prevention1 men
Age
15–19 25.2 8,105 17.5 2,230
15–17 22.6 5,057 13.9 1,464
18–19 29.4 3,048 24.3 765
20–24 34.7 6,853 29.2 1,590
20–22 31.9 4,196 26.6 976
23–24 39.2 2,657 33.2 614
Marital status
Never married 31.9 9,247 22.2 3,602
Ever had sex 44.9 2,042 37.6 786
Never had sex 28.3 7,205 17.9 2,816
Ever married 25.7 5,711 24.5 217
Residence
Urban 38.4 7,083 28.0 1,864
Rural 21.6 7,875 16.9 1,955
Zone
North Central 21.6 2,724 26.9 742
North East 24.2 2,479 13.9 596
North West 26.4 5,205 17.9 1,362
South East 34.9 1,135 28.1 244
South South 45.3 1,529 35.7 377
South West 40.7 1,885 24.8 499
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 64.8 241 36.4 59
Benue 18.3 387 33.1 100
Kogi 9.1 219 9.5 77
Kwara 37.8 302 19.4 118
Nasarawa 24.7 354 42.0 85
Niger 10.8 746 21.0 198
Plateau 12.8 475 35.7 105
Continued…

61
 Table 27—Continued
Women age 15–24 Men age 15–24
Percentage Percentage
with knowledge with knowledge
Background about HIV Number of about HIV Number of
characteristic prevention1 women prevention1 men
North East
Adamawa 35.4 366 14.3 99
Bauchi 11.8 769 8.6 217
Borno 25.4 389 30.7 74
Gombe 48.2 244 10.7 84
Taraba 36.9 341 15.5 83
Yobe 10.2 371 (14.3) 39
North West
Jigawa 57.5 536 25.6 147
Kaduna 28.8 991 22.1 259
Kano 31.4 1,687 21.1 442
Katsina 9.9 692 15.5 187
Kebbi 14.8 365 9.7 86
Sokoto 3.5 480 1.6 127
Zamfara 24.4 453 14.6 113
South East
Abia 45.3 142 38.5 38
Anambra 70.4 231 36.2 52
Ebonyi 21.9 396 13.0 61
Enugu 35.8 160 33.8 33
Imo 12.2 206 27.0 60
South South
Akwa Ibom 43.5 189 26.5 48
Bayelsa 41.8 126 13.3 46
Cross River 51.1 201 59.3 45
Delta 43.1 359 40.8 75
Edo 37.3 237 34.0 73
Rivers 51.0 418 37.1 90
South West
Ekiti 18.7 114 (13.6) 20
Lagos 54.4 464 22.1 152
Ogun 37.4 445 19.5 106
Ondo 31.3 225 19.8 63
Osun 41.1 221 19.6 65
Oyo 39.9 416 44.5 93
Education
No education 15.1 4,342 9.1 822
Primary 18.2 1,320 13.2 354
Secondary 35.1 8,044 25.3 2,290
More than secondary 56.0 1,252 43.0 352
Wealth quintile
Lowest 15.6 2,436 9.5 661
Second 19.3 3,028 16.5 686
Middle 26.2 3,219 20.6 809
Fourth 35.7 3,378 28.5 876
Highest 48.6 2,897 33.2 788
Total 29.5 14,958 22.3 3,819

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases.

1
Knowledge about HIV prevention means knowing that consistent use of condoms during sexual
intercourse and having just one uninfected faithful partner can reduce the chance of getting HIV,
knowing that a healthy-looking person can have HIV, and rejecting two common misconceptions about
transmission or prevention of HIV: HIV can be transmitted by mosquito bites and a person can become
infected by sharing food with a person who has HIV.

3.15.2 Sexual Behaviour

Information on sexual behaviour is important in designing and monitoring intervention programmes to

control the spread of HIV.

▪ Two percent of women and 14% of men age 15–49 reported that they had two or more sexual partners
in the 12 months preceding the survey (Table 28 and Table 29).

▪ Among women and men who had two or more partners in the preceding year, 32% and 33%,
respectively, reported using a condom during their most recent sexual intercourse.

62
 ▪ On average, women report 1.8 sexual partners over their lifetime, while men report 4.4 lifetime sexual
partners.

Table 28 Multiple sexual partners and higher-risk sexual intercourse in the past 12 months: Women

Among all women age 15–49, percentage who had sexual intercourse with more than one sexual partner in the past 12 months and percentage who had intercourse
in the past 12 months with a person who neither was their husband nor lived with them; among women having more than one partner in the past 12 months,
percentage reporting that a condom was used during most recent intercourse; among women who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months with a person who
neither was their husband nor lived with them, percentage who used a condom during most recent sexual intercourse with such a partner; and among women who
ever had sexual intercourse, mean number of sexual partners during their lifetime, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Women who had
intercourse in the past 12
Women who had 2+ months with a person who
partners in the past neither was their husband Women who ever had
All women 12 months nor lived with them sexual intercourse1
Percentage
who had
intercourse Percentage
in the past who reported
12 months Percentage using a
with a person who reported condom
Percentage who neither using a during most Mean
who had 2+ was their condom recent sexual number of
partners in husband nor during most intercourse sexual
Background the past 12 lived with Number of recent sexual Number of with such a Number of partners in Number of
characteristic months them women inter- course women partner women lifetime women
Age
15–24 1.9 11.9 14,958 37.9 282 39.2 1,778 1.5 7,752
15–19 1.2 7.8 8,105 37.9 93 38.4 634 1.4 2,245
20–24 2.8 16.7 6,853 37.8 189 39.7 1,145 1.6 5,507
25–29 2.2 10.4 6,443 35.8 143 37.9 672 1.8 6,156
30–39 1.7 5.6 10,482 25.2 179 31.9 589 1.9 10,367
40–49 0.9 3.9 7,167 17.6 62 18.8 280 1.8 7,131
Marital status
Never married 3.8 24.4 10,893 43.2 409 39.0 2,660 2.8 3,298
Married/living together 0.6 0.7 26,264 8.2 162 29.8 179 1.6 26,224
Divorced/separated/widowed 5.0 25.3 1,894 25.1 95 21.2 480 2.5 1,884
Residence
Urban 2.2 11.9 18,846 34.1 419 38.4 2,236 2.1 14,328
Rural 1.2 5.4 20,204 28.8 247 30.9 1,084 1.5 17,078
Zone
North Central 2.6 9.6 7,068 37.1 181 40.1 682 1.8 5,741
North East 1.4 4.6 6,213 27.2 85 29.4 289 1.4 5,005
North West 0.2 0.6 12,434 * 20 35.6 69 1.1 9,844
South East 2.6 14.4 3,280 34.4 86 38.4 473 2.2 2,567
South South 3.0 22.5 4,416 31.3 132 33.0 993 2.9 3,682
South West 2.9 14.4 5,640 31.8 162 36.9 814 2.4 4,567
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 1.5 13.8 764 * 11 66.3 105 1.9 594
Benue 4.8 16.8 1,008 (54.7) 48 51.9 169 2.9 845
Kogi 1.6 10.2 604 * 9 24.7 62 1.6 515
Kwara 2.3 12.3 790 * 18 18.7 97 1.5 643
Nasarawa 2.6 9.2 963 (42.4) 25 39.8 89 1.7 777
Niger 0.2 1.0 1,845 * 4 * 18 1.1 1,506
Plateau 6.1 13.0 1,093 23.8 66 30.3 142 2.2 861
North East
Adamawa 1.9 5.6 932 * 18 23.5 52 1.5 731
Bauchi 0.6 2.5 1,838 * 10 * 46 1.2 1,533
Borno 0.7 1.6 1,073 * 7 * 18 1.2 856
Gombe 0.5 1.8 610 * 3 * 11 1.2 472
Taraba 5.6 19.9 806 36.6 45 28.2 161 2.3 666
Yobe 0.1 0.2 954 * 1 * 2 1.2 747
North West
Jigawa 0.0 0.0 1,258 * 0 * 0 1.2 1,001
Kaduna 0.1 1.7 2,420 * 3 (32.3) 41 1.2 1,971
Kano 0.3 0.5 3,660 * 10 * 18 1.1 2,600
Katsina 0.0 0.0 1,778 * 0 * 0 1.1 1,488
Kebbi 0.0 0.0 925 * 0 * 0 1.1 774
Sokoto 0.1 0.3 1,238 * 1 * 4 1.1 1,035
Zamfara 0.5 0.5 1,154 * 6 * 6 1.1 974
Continued…

63
Table 28—Continued
Women who had
intercourse in the past 12
Women who had 2+ months with a person who
partners in the past neither was their husband Women who ever had
All women 12 months nor lived with them sexual intercourse1
Percentage
who had
intercourse Percentage
in the past who reported
12 months Percentage using a
with a person who reported condom
Percentage who neither using a during most Mean
who had 2+ was their condom recent sexual number of
partners in husband nor during most intercourse sexual
Background the past 12 lived with Number of recent sexual Number of with such a Number of partners in Number of
characteristic months them women inter- course women partner women lifetime women
South East
Abia 3.8 21.4 418 (56.4) 16 48.9 89 2.6 339
Anambra 2.6 14.9 707 (32.8) 18 47.1 106 2.2 566
Ebonyi 1.3 6.6 950 * 12 27.7 63 1.5 673
Enugu 3.3 20.3 502 * 17 34.4 102 2.6 406
Imo 3.4 16.1 704 (31.0) 24 31.7 113 2.7 583
South South
Akwa Ibom 2.1 20.2 570 * 12 35.7 115 2.3 493
Bayelsa 6.3 28.5 317 21.1 20 21.2 90 3.1 265
Cross River 4.3 23.9 524 (29.6) 23 26.3 125 3.7 434
Delta 3.6 22.1 1,010 (28.0) 36 34.4 223 2.6 847
Edo 2.9 20.1 661 (28.2) 19 37.1 133 2.3 540
Rivers 1.7 23.0 1,333 (40.3) 22 35.5 306 3.2 1,103
South West
Ekiti 4.4 18.3 276 (11.6) 12 33.8 51 2.5 213
Lagos 1.9 15.7 1,586 * 29 37.8 249 2.0 1,270
Ogun 3.1 11.3 1,288 (28.1) 39 38.0 145 2.9 1,033
Ondo 3.3 19.9 603 * 20 38.4 120 2.3 490
Osun 3.5 15.2 627 * 22 30.8 95 2.1 506
Oyo 3.1 12.2 1,260 (43.9) 39 38.0 154 2.4 1,055
Education
No education 0.4 1.0 13,404 15.5 60 21.1 135 1.2 12,164
Primary 1.6 5.2 4,359 21.2 69 20.2 225 1.8 3,747
Secondary 2.4 12.3 15,948 33.2 388 34.6 1,962 2.1 10,967
More than secondary 2.8 18.7 5,339 41.1 150 44.2 997 2.3 4,528
Wealth quintile
Lowest 0.7 2.3 6,724 19.2 49 16.9 154 1.3 5,874
Second 1.1 3.8 7,348 26.3 84 26.3 280 1.4 6,139
Middle 1.6 8.1 7,812 28.5 127 29.7 635 1.8 6,169
Fourth 2.5 12.5 8,435 34.0 207 38.7 1,059 2.0 6,415
Highest 2.3 13.7 8,731 38.2 199 41.5 1,192 2.3 6,808
Total 1.7 8.5 39,050 32.1 666 35.9 3,319 1.8 31,405

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been
suppressed.
1
Means are calculated excluding respondents who gave non-numeric responses.

64
Table 29 Multiple sexual partners and higher-risk sexual intercourse in the past 12 months: Men
Among all men age 15–49, percentage who had sexual intercourse with more than one sexual partner in the past 12 months and percentage who had intercourse in the past 12 months with a person who neither was their
wife nor lived with them; among men having more than one partner in the past 12 months, percentage reporting that a condom was used during most recent intercourse; among men who had sexual intercourse in the past 12
months with a person who neither was their wife nor lived with them, percentage who used a condom during most recent sexual intercourse with such a partner; and among men who ever had sexual intercourse, mean number
of sexual partners during their lifetime, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Men who had intercourse in the past 12
Men who had 2+ partners months with a person who neither was
All men in the past 12 months their wife nor lived with them Men who ever had sexual intercourse1
Percentage who
had intercourse in Percentage who
the past 12 months Percentage who reported using a
with a person who reported using a condom during
Percentage who neither was their condom during most recent sexual Mean number of
Background had 2+ partners in wife nor lived with most recent sexual intercourse with sexual partners in
characteristic the past 12 months them Number of men intercourse Number of men such a partner Number of men lifetime Number of men
Age
15–24 6.3 17.8 3,819 61.1 241 59.1 681 3.7 995
15–19 2.3 8.9 2,230 68.5 52 57.9 199 2.4 256
20–24 11.9 30.3 1,590 59.1 189 59.6 482 4.1 739
25–29 15.9 30.7 1,475 45.2 235 61.0 453 4.2 1,088
30–39 18.7 20.7 3,067 31.7 573 69.8 633 4.6 2,835
40–49 18.1 11.1 2,566 15.1 464 69.2 285 4.7 2,468
Marital status
Never married 10.0 26.6 4,964 66.9 496 61.5 1,321 5.5 1,570
Married/living together 16.9 11.2 5,809 15.6 983 70.3 649 4.1 5,667
Divorced/separated/widowed 22.1 52.7 154 (59.7) 34 60.6 81 5.8 149
Type of union
In polygynous union 51.7 2.6 757 1.2 392 (40.8) 20 3.3 750
Not in polygynous union 11.7 12.5 5,052 25.2 591 71.2 630 4.2 4,917
Not currently in union 10.3 27.4 5,118 66.4 530 61.4 1,403 5.6 1,719
Residence
Urban 14.3 23.3 5,397 43.9 773 66.9 1,257 5.1 3,665
Rural 13.4 14.4 5,531 22.4 739 59.9 794 3.8 3,721
Zone
North Central 14.7 21.4 2,107 35.0 310 63.0 451 4.7 1,490
North East 9.3 8.3 1,720 13.0 159 52.4 143 2.3 1,089
North West 9.3 5.8 3,459 15.3 321 50.4 202 2.1 2,000
South East 20.7 32.4 849 51.9 176 81.1 276 7.2 598
South South 26.0 40.7 1,231 43.2 320 65.5 501 8.4 1,009
South West 14.4 30.8 1,560 43.1 225 63.7 480 5.1 1,201
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 15.7 30.5 267 (59.8) 42 76.2 81 4.1 209
Benue 24.9 43.0 285 37.7 71 52.8 123 11.3 229
Kogi 22.7 32.1 206 34.9 47 58.3 66 4.6 173
Kwara 9.6 15.9 275 (23.8) 26 52.9 44 3.6 164
Nasarawa 16.8 27.6 301 50.7 50 83.1 83 4.0 233
Niger 9.8 3.9 489 (6.4) 48 * 19 2.2 295
Plateau 8.9 12.5 284 (21.6) 25 (60.1) 35 3.2 187
Continued…

65
Table 29—Continued
Men who had intercourse in the past 12
Men who had 2+ partners months with a person who neither was
All men in the past 12 months their wife nor lived with them Men who ever had sexual intercourse1
Percentage who
had intercourse in Percentage who
the past 12 months Percentage who reported using a
with a person who reported using a condom during
Percentage who neither was their condom during most recent sexual Mean number of
Background had 2+ partners in wife nor lived with most recent sexual intercourse with sexual partners in
characteristic the past 12 months them Number of men intercourse Number of men such a partner Number of men lifetime Number of men
North East
Adamawa 14.0 16.9 276 (23.3) 39 (49.7) 47 3.0 194
Bauchi 6.1 3.3 570 * 35 * 19 1.6 316
Borno 3.6 9.0 246 * 9 * 22 1.7 186
Gombe 6.7 2.1 202 (4.6) 14 * 4 1.3 101
Taraba 15.0 20.6 232 (14.5) 35 (46.4) 48 5.6 153
Yobe 14.8 1.5 193 (0.0) 29 * 3 1.3 139
North West
Jigawa 4.2 0.8 330 * 14 * 3 1.7 159
Kaduna 12.0 11.2 705 (15.8) 85 47.8 79 3.5 476
Kano 9.9 4.3 1,029 21.1 102 (71.5) 44 1.7 495
Katsina 10.2 4.5 479 (15.3) 49 * 22 1.6 280
Kebbi 7.6 0.4 231 (0.0) 18 * 1 1.6 146
Sokoto 2.1 0.8 357 * 7 * 3 1.3 206
Zamfara 14.2 15.4 329 (9.3) 47 (26.5) 51 2.1 238
South East
Abia 11.9 31.6 122 (65.3) 15 67.4 39 4.2 36
Anambra 27.0 39.1 191 60.4 52 86.5 75 9.6 152
Ebonyi 5.3 11.1 189 * 10 (89.5) 21 4.7 137
Enugu 16.7 28.0 135 (75.1) 23 78.5 38 6.4 96
Imo 36.5 48.7 212 37.6 77 81.6 103 8.2 176
South South
Akwa Ibom 17.1 39.0 178 (47.3) 31 71.4 69 7.9 153
Bayelsa 29.2 43.4 100 56.6 29 70.6 44 9.9 66
Cross River 29.6 47.9 140 48.0 41 65.7 67 11.2 115
Delta 28.5 43.4 249 36.2 71 66.8 108 10.6 209
Edo 24.7 33.9 197 54.3 49 65.8 67 5.4 151
Rivers 27.2 39.8 366 35.4 100 60.0 146 7.3 315
South West
Ekiti 15.2 34.4 68 (60.6) 10 57.9 23 6.8 55
Lagos 13.4 26.6 523 (46.1) 70 67.8 139 6.0 413
Ogun 21.3 41.9 321 39.3 69 62.0 135 4.8 253
Ondo 13.3 37.2 188 (50.0) 25 58.5 70 4.2 134
Osun 18.7 26.8 179 (39.0) 33 67.4 48 5.3 124
Oyo 6.3 23.3 281 * 18 63.5 65 3.9 221
Education
No education 10.4 5.0 2,462 11.2 255 42.4 124 2.2 1,655
Primary 13.6 14.0 1,159 16.4 158 53.1 162 4.8 808
Secondary 14.7 23.8 5,066 38.4 744 63.6 1,206 5.2 3,137
More than secondary 15.9 25.0 2,241 46.4 355 73.5 560 5.0 1,786
Continued…

66
Table 29—Continued
Men who had intercourse in the past 12
Men who had 2+ partners months with a person who neither was
All men in the past 12 months their wife nor lived with them Men who ever had sexual intercourse1
Percentage who
had intercourse in Percentage who
the past 12 months Percentage who reported using a
with a person who reported using a condom during
Percentage who neither was their condom during most recent sexual Mean number of
Background had 2+ partners in wife nor lived with most recent sexual intercourse with sexual partners in
characteristic the past 12 months them Number of men intercourse Number of men such a partner Number of men lifetime Number of men
Wealth quintile
Lowest 9.0 6.8 1,776 8.3 161 37.7 121 2.6 1,158
Second 13.4 11.9 1,902 15.5 255 50.4 226 3.5 1,271
Middle 14.1 17.9 2,114 26.6 298 58.9 379 4.0 1,378
Fourth 14.2 23.8 2,523 41.9 358 66.4 601 4.9 1,684
Highest 16.9 27.7 2,612 50.6 441 73.9 725 6.1 1,895
Total 15–49 13.8 18.8 10,927 33.4 1,512 64.2 2,052 4.4 7,386
50–59 18.7 8.7 1,277 8.3 238 55.0 111 5.2 1,216
Total 15–59 14.3 17.7 12,204 30.0 1,750 63.7 2,163 4.5 8,602

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed.
1
Means are calculated excluding respondents who gave non-numeric responses.

67
3.15.3 Prior HIV Testing

HIV testing programmes diagnose people living with HIV so that they can be linked to care and access
antiretroviral therapy (ART). Knowledge of HIV status helps HIV-negative individuals reduce risk and
remain negative.

▪ Overall, 32% of women and 30% of men age 15–49 have ever been tested for HIV and received the
results of the most recent test (Table 30 and Table 31).

▪ Eleven percent of women and 9% of men were tested for HIV in the past year and received the results
of the test.

▪ Sixty-three percent of women and 69% of men have never been tested for HIV.

Table 30 Coverage of prior HIV testing: Women

Percent distribution of women age 15–49 by HIV testing status and by whether they received the results of the most recent test,
percentage of women ever tested, and percentage of women who were tested in the past 12 months and received the results of the
most recent test, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage
Percent distribution of women by testing who have
status and by whether they received the been tested
results of the most recent test for HIV in
the past 12
months and
Ever tested Ever tested, received the
and did not results of
Background received receive Never Percentage the most Number of
characteristic results results tested1 Total ever tested recent test women
Age
15–24 17.9 3.1 79.0 100.0 21.0 7.5 14,958
15–19 8.1 1.4 90.5 100.0 9.5 3.8 8,105
20–24 29.5 5.2 65.3 100.0 34.7 11.8 6,853
25–29 39.4 6.5 54.2 100.0 45.8 15.1 6,443
30–39 42.7 7.3 50.0 100.0 50.0 13.2 10,482
40–49 37.7 5.0 57.3 100.0 42.7 8.8 7,167
Marital status
Never married 15.5 1.4 83.1 100.0 16.9 6.9 10,893
Ever had sex 37.1 3.5 59.3 100.0 40.7 17.1 3,309
Never had sex 6.0 0.5 93.4 100.0 6.6 2.5 7,584
Married/living together 37.5 6.7 55.9 100.0 44.1 11.8 26,264
Divorced/separated/widowed 45.6 5.2 49.2 100.0 50.8 13.1 1,894
Residence
Urban 39.7 5.9 54.4 100.0 45.6 12.9 18,846
Rural 24.3 4.4 71.3 100.0 28.7 8.3 20,204
Zone
North Central 33.7 5.1 61.2 100.0 38.8 12.0 7,068
North East 32.7 3.3 64.0 100.0 36.0 10.5 6,213
North West 20.0 3.6 76.4 100.0 23.6 5.6 12,434
South East 44.2 8.9 46.9 100.0 53.1 14.3 3,280
South South 48.5 6.1 45.4 100.0 54.6 20.3 4,416
South West 33.9 7.6 58.5 100.0 41.5 9.5 5,640
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 54.8 1.7 43.4 100.0 56.6 15.6 764
Benue 61.9 2.1 36.1 100.0 63.9 27.6 1,008
Kogi 29.8 4.5 65.6 100.0 34.4 10.8 604
Kwara 18.0 6.2 75.8 100.0 24.2 5.7 790
Nasarawa 46.1 10.6 43.4 100.0 56.6 16.2 963
Niger 14.7 6.8 78.5 100.0 21.5 5.1 1,845
Plateau 27.5 2.0 70.5 100.0 29.5 8.3 1,093
North East
Adamawa 37.7 1.2 61.1 100.0 38.9 14.4 932
Bauchi 35.9 4.3 59.9 100.0 40.1 11.4 1,838
Borno 23.5 3.2 73.3 100.0 26.7 5.1 1,073
Gombe 48.3 5.4 46.3 100.0 53.7 13.6 610
Taraba 38.3 2.3 59.5 100.0 40.5 16.7 806
Yobe 17.2 3.1 79.7 100.0 20.3 4.2 954
Continued…

68
Table 30—Continued
Percentage
Percent distribution of women by testing who have
status and by whether they received the been tested
results of the most recent test for HIV in
the past 12
months and
Ever tested Ever tested, received the
and did not results of
Background received receive Never Percentage the most Number of
characteristic results results tested1 Total ever tested recent test women
North West
Jigawa 22.4 2.9 74.7 100.0 25.3 7.7 1,258
Kaduna 26.5 6.4 67.1 100.0 32.9 8.1 2,420
Kano 24.9 3.4 71.7 100.0 28.3 5.9 3,660
Katsina 20.0 6.6 73.5 100.0 26.5 4.7 1,778
Kebbi 4.9 0.6 94.5 100.0 5.5 2.0 925
Sokoto 6.1 0.5 93.4 100.0 6.6 1.9 1,238
Zamfara 14.8 0.2 85.0 100.0 15.0 5.8 1,154
South East
Abia 47.4 8.4 44.2 100.0 55.8 16.1 418
Anambra 48.3 10.8 40.9 100.0 59.1 11.9 707
Ebonyi 23.0 15.5 61.5 100.0 38.5 8.1 950
Enugu 40.4 3.1 56.5 100.0 43.5 14.6 502
Imo 69.6 2.7 27.7 100.0 72.3 23.9 704
South South
Akwa Ibom 66.4 4.0 29.6 100.0 70.4 39.1 570
Bayelsa 41.7 7.4 50.9 100.0 49.1 17.7 317
Cross River 55.0 3.5 41.5 100.0 58.5 21.3 524
Delta 42.3 5.9 51.8 100.0 48.2 12.5 1,010
Edo 32.5 7.9 59.6 100.0 40.4 8.6 661
Rivers 52.5 7.0 40.5 100.0 59.5 24.3 1,333
South West
Ekiti 38.7 7.5 53.8 100.0 46.2 9.7 276
Lagos 54.2 6.5 39.3 100.0 60.7 15.1 1,586
Ogun 27.2 8.7 64.1 100.0 35.9 8.3 1,288
Ondo 28.3 3.0 68.7 100.0 31.3 8.5 603
Osun 18.1 16.5 65.4 100.0 34.6 6.1 627
Oyo 24.5 5.8 69.6 100.0 30.4 5.7 1,260
Education
No education 15.2 4.1 80.7 100.0 19.3 4.6 13,404
Primary 27.9 5.9 66.1 100.0 33.9 7.9 4,359
Secondary 35.7 5.6 58.8 100.0 41.2 11.9 15,948
More than secondary 64.5 5.9 29.7 100.0 70.3 23.3 5,339
Wealth quintile
Lowest 13.3 2.9 83.8 100.0 16.2 4.5 6,724
Second 19.3 4.0 76.7 100.0 23.3 6.5 7,348
Middle 30.3 6.1 63.6 100.0 36.4 9.3 7,812
Fourth 39.1 6.0 54.9 100.0 45.1 13.6 8,435
Highest 50.5 6.1 43.3 100.0 56.7 16.6 8,731
Total 31.7 5.1 63.1 100.0 36.9 10.5 39,050

1
Includes respondents who refused to answer questions on testing

69
Table 31 Coverage of prior HIV testing: Men
Percent distribution of men age 15–49 by HIV testing status and by whether they received the results of the most recent test,
percentage of men ever tested, and percentage of men who were tested in the past 12 months and received the results of the most
recent test, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percent-
age who
Percent distribution of men by testing have been
status and by whether they received the tested for
results of the most recent test HIV in the
past 12
months and
Ever tested Ever tested, received the
and did not Percent- results of
Background received receive Never age ever the most Number of
characteristic results results tested1 Total tested recent test men
Age
15–24 8.8 0.6 90.6 100.0 9.4 3.8 3,819
15–19 3.5 0.3 96.2 100.0 3.8 1.7 2,230
20–24 16.3 1.0 82.8 100.0 17.2 6.8 1,590
25–29 34.4 1.1 64.5 100.0 35.5 10.5 1,475
30–39 44.0 1.7 54.3 100.0 45.7 12.5 3,067
40–49 42.6 2.5 54.9 100.0 45.1 10.1 2,566
Marital status
Never married 15.4 0.8 83.8 100.0 16.2 6.3 4,964
Ever had sex 34.2 1.6 64.2 100.0 35.8 15.0 1,606
Never had sex 6.4 0.4 93.2 100.0 6.8 2.2 3,358
Married/living together 42.3 1.9 55.8 100.0 44.2 10.4 5,809
Divorced/separated/widowed 43.2 3.1 53.6 100.0 46.4 17.6 154
Residence
Urban 35.3 1.9 62.8 100.0 37.2 10.0 5,397
Rural 25.0 0.9 74.1 100.0 25.9 7.3 5,531
Zone
North Central 35.2 0.8 64.0 100.0 36.0 14.9 2,107
North East 26.6 0.8 72.6 100.0 27.4 7.1 1,720
North West 19.6 1.3 79.1 100.0 20.9 3.5 3,459
South East 49.7 0.6 49.7 100.0 50.3 13.5 849
South South 46.7 3.1 50.2 100.0 49.8 16.5 1,231
South West 26.6 2.2 71.2 100.0 28.8 4.4 1,560
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 48.7 3.4 47.9 100.0 52.1 19.0 267
Benue 63.2 0.2 36.6 100.0 63.4 47.4 285
Kogi 31.0 0.1 68.9 100.0 31.1 14.1 206
Kwara 14.6 1.4 84.0 100.0 16.0 2.3 275
Nasarawa 42.4 0.8 56.7 100.0 43.3 20.6 301
Niger 14.7 0.2 85.1 100.0 14.9 2.3 489
Plateau 44.6 0.0 55.4 100.0 44.6 6.6 284
North East
Adamawa 36.2 0.2 63.6 100.0 36.4 6.6 276
Bauchi 22.1 0.1 77.8 100.0 22.2 6.1 570
Borno 10.4 0.0 89.6 100.0 10.4 1.5 246
Gombe 23.5 1.0 75.4 100.0 24.6 2.6 202
Taraba 41.4 3.1 55.5 100.0 44.5 17.8 232
Yobe 32.2 2.0 65.8 100.0 34.2 9.4 193
North West
Jigawa 17.3 1.0 81.7 100.0 18.3 2.9 330
Kaduna 19.5 2.4 78.0 100.0 22.0 6.0 705
Kano 24.3 1.5 74.2 100.0 25.8 4.8 1,029
Katsina 39.8 0.4 59.7 100.0 40.3 2.9 479
Kebbi 2.1 0.0 97.9 100.0 2.1 0.3 231
Sokoto 3.0 0.0 97.0 100.0 3.0 0.0 357
Zamfara 7.9 2.4 89.7 100.0 10.3 1.8 329
South East
Abia 35.9 0.0 64.1 100.0 35.9 10.0 122
Anambra 60.8 0.4 38.8 100.0 61.2 18.1 191
Ebonyi 37.0 0.7 62.3 100.0 37.7 6.2 189
Enugu 48.7 0.0 51.3 100.0 48.7 18.5 135
Imo 59.5 1.3 39.2 100.0 60.8 14.7 212
South South
Akwa Ibom 62.8 2.8 34.4 100.0 65.6 35.3 178
Bayelsa 26.7 6.1 67.3 100.0 32.7 3.1 100
Cross River 63.0 4.1 32.9 100.0 67.1 26.1 140
Delta 36.6 5.0 58.4 100.0 41.6 12.6 249
Edo 34.0 0.3 65.7 100.0 34.3 7.6 197
Rivers 51.9 2.2 45.9 100.0 54.1 14.9 366
Continued…

70
 Table 31—Continued
Percent-
age who
Percent distribution of men by testing have been
status and by whether they received the tested for
results of the most recent test HIV in the
past 12
months and
Ever tested Ever tested, received the
and did not Percent- results of
Background received receive Never age ever the most Number of
characteristic results results tested1 Total tested recent test men
South West
Ekiti 18.6 1.7 79.7 100.0 20.3 8.3 68
Lagos 32.6 0.3 67.1 100.0 32.9 6.5 523
Ogun 23.2 7.5 69.3 100.0 30.7 4.8 321
Ondo 16.2 0.4 83.4 100.0 16.6 2.8 188
Osun 20.7 1.5 77.8 100.0 22.2 1.0 179
Oyo 32.0 1.2 66.8 100.0 33.2 2.5 281
Education
No education 11.8 0.6 87.7 100.0 12.3 2.4 2,462
Primary 22.1 1.1 76.9 100.0 23.1 5.6 1,159
Secondary 29.4 1.5 69.1 100.0 30.9 8.5 5,066
More than secondary 55.9 2.4 41.7 100.0 58.3 17.3 2,241
Wealth quintile
Lowest 11.5 0.4 88.2 100.0 11.8 2.6 1,776
Second 22.2 0.6 77.3 100.0 22.7 6.6 1,902
Middle 29.1 1.9 69.0 100.0 31.0 8.2 2,114
Fourth 34.4 1.8 63.8 100.0 36.2 10.1 2,523
Highest 45.1 2.0 52.9 100.0 47.1 13.2 2,612
Total 15–49 30.1 1.4 68.5 100.0 31.5 8.6 10,927
50–59 39.7 1.7 58.5 100.0 41.5 10.0 1,277
Total 15–59 31.1 1.4 67.5 100.0 32.5 8.8 12,204

1
Includes respondents who refused to answer questions on testing

3.16 TUBERCULOSIS

3.16.1 Knowledge about Tuberculosis

Tables 32 and 33 show the percentage of women and men who have heard of tuberculosis (TB), the
percentage with knowledge of common symptoms, and the percentage with various beliefs around TB.

▪ Sixty-four percent of women and 70% of men age 15–49 have heard of TB.

▪ Among those who have heard of TB, 56% of women and 68% of men report coughing up blood or
sputum as a common symptom.

▪ Only 14% of women and 19% of men who have heard of TB report fever as a common symptom.

71
Table 32 Knowledge about tuberculosis: Women
Percentage of women age 15–49 who have heard of tuberculosis (TB), and among women who have heard of TB, percentage who know about common symptoms of TB, percentage who know that TB is spread through the
air by coughing or sneezing, Percentage who believe that TB can be cured, Percentage who believe that TB can be cured, and percentage who would not keep it a secret if a family member is diagnosed with TB, according to
background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Among all respondents: Among respondents who have heard of TB:
Percentage who
Percentage who Percentage who report that they
report persistent report coughing Percentage who would not want to
coughing for 2 up blood or Percentage who Percentage who report that TB is keep it a secret if
weeks or more as sputum as a report weight loss report fever as a spread through Percentage who a family member
Background Percentage who Number of a common common as a common common coughing and believe that TB is diagnosed Number of
characteristic have heard of TB respondents symptom symptom symptom symptom sneezing can be cured with TB women
Age
15–19 50.7 8,105 57.3 52.2 25.0 13.8 70.6 77.7 83.7 4,107
20–24 62.4 6,853 60.4 53.1 28.2 14.8 72.0 80.6 87.3 4,276
25–29 66.3 6,443 60.1 56.1 29.2 14.6 71.5 80.5 87.1 4,270
30–34 68.5 5,583 62.6 57.7 31.3 14.8 74.4 81.9 87.8 3,826
35–39 71.4 4,900 63.2 58.1 30.6 12.6 74.4 81.8 88.4 3,499
40–44 71.0 4,105 63.6 60.8 33.4 13.3 75.1 84.6 88.1 2,915
45–49 72.0 3,062 67.2 57.7 33.2 11.4 75.8 84.2 88.6 2,204
Marital status
Never married 61.1 10,893 61.9 56.0 29.0 15.3 73.9 83.1 83.9 6,655
Married/living together 64.9 26,264 61.1 56.3 29.7 13.4 72.6 80.2 88.3 17,055
Divorced/separated/widowed 73.2 1,894 65.8 55.3 32.6 12.5 75.4 85.7 87.9 1,385
Residence
Urban 70.5 18,846 65.0 60.2 32.7 14.6 76.3 86.1 85.6 13,294
Rural 58.4 20,204 57.6 51.6 26.4 13.0 69.5 75.8 88.8 11,802
Zone
North Central 43.4 7,068 65.1 64.8 32.7 21.7 73.7 87.9 85.1 3,070
North East 70.2 6,213 61.3 50.1 33.4 18.2 70.9 79.8 82.3 4,359
North West 69.2 12,434 56.0 48.0 24.9 12.6 71.4 75.6 93.6 8,599
South East 73.3 3,280 65.7 48.3 22.8 8.0 65.8 83.2 81.6 2,405
South South 73.1 4,416 62.9 63.5 26.9 9.7 78.3 85.4 88.5 3,226
South West 60.9 5,640 68.4 75.1 41.9 12.4 79.7 85.9 81.6 3,437
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 65.0 764 87.4 73.1 54.3 26.6 93.2 96.1 96.0 497
Benue 71.8 1,008 48.5 62.7 25.8 34.6 69.7 86.8 80.2 724
Kogi 29.8 604 69.8 51.3 6.3 3.0 77.4 82.4 77.3 180
Kwara 22.6 790 71.4 78.1 55.7 2.3 94.4 80.4 92.9 178
Nasarawa 62.9 963 52.9 63.9 19.7 15.8 64.4 88.1 84.3 606
Niger 20.3 1,845 82.2 82.5 45.2 32.9 83.6 93.6 75.9 374
Plateau 46.8 1,093 64.8 47.8 28.8 10.5 55.6 82.0 89.3 512
North East
Adamawa 71.8 932 83.5 40.6 39.7 7.9 87.0 86.9 97.4 669
Bauchi 68.8 1,838 46.7 47.8 22.2 14.5 63.2 64.9 78.3 1,264
Borno 65.0 1,073 39.7 82.3 43.8 32.8 69.6 87.4 44.9 697
Gombe 81.8 610 79.7 60.5 39.6 12.1 86.6 85.0 92.4 499
Taraba 74.1 806 61.1 59.2 46.1 37.6 67.0 84.2 94.2 597
Yobe 66.3 954 76.7 12.2 20.6 6.6 61.7 85.7 96.1 632
Continued…

72
Table 32—Continued
Among all respondents: Among respondents who have heard of TB:
Percentage who
Percentage who Percentage who report that they
report persistent report coughing Percentage who would not want to
coughing for 2 up blood or Percentage who Percentage who report that TB is keep it a secret if
weeks or more as sputum as a report weight loss report fever as a spread through Percentage who a family member
Background Percentage who Number of a common common as a common common coughing and believe that TB is diagnosed Number of
characteristic have heard of TB respondents symptom symptom symptom symptom sneezing can be cured with TB women
North West
Jigawa 77.8 1,258 41.7 66.6 49.3 13.3 92.7 72.6 94.4 979
Kaduna 68.9 2,420 62.4 24.9 15.9 4.4 58.9 84.0 91.2 1,668
Kano 73.0 3,660 55.5 44.0 31.1 15.7 68.7 87.4 91.7 2,673
Katsina 65.5 1,778 44.4 53.0 28.3 18.0 68.4 72.0 98.3 1,164
Kebbi 75.5 925 57.3 56.6 5.9 16.9 77.9 41.9 91.3 698
Sokoto 62.5 1,238 67.9 56.8 10.7 7.8 74.1 46.8 96.4 773
Zamfara 55.7 1,154 68.4 67.7 16.7 10.9 78.4 87.9 96.8 643
South East
Abia 68.8 418 50.9 48.6 9.5 8.3 51.4 86.2 83.3 287
Anambra 82.6 707 76.1 67.8 23.3 3.4 71.1 82.9 93.3 584
Ebonyi 61.0 950 58.1 16.5 4.3 7.8 63.1 78.8 82.0 579
Enugu 52.2 502 43.5 65.1 43.6 21.7 58.4 68.0 64.6 262
Imo 98.3 704 77.9 52.1 35.5 6.7 72.1 91.7 77.0 692
South South
Akwa Ibom 64.0 570 78.5 34.4 14.9 5.9 74.0 79.4 83.8 365
Bayelsa 75.7 317 21.5 77.7 31.6 5.4 70.6 66.6 84.1 240
Cross River 89.5 524 84.0 59.6 22.3 8.9 80.9 87.1 81.6 469
Delta 69.6 1,010 79.1 54.9 16.8 3.6 82.9 82.9 86.9 703
Edo 82.7 661 60.1 63.1 39.4 12.7 81.3 88.2 89.6 547
Rivers 67.7 1,333 45.7 80.5 33.3 15.9 75.5 92.0 95.6 902
South West
Ekiti 55.5 276 44.8 61.7 17.6 5.5 65.6 75.5 83.5 153
Lagos 77.6 1,586 86.1 70.0 44.9 6.9 85.8 85.1 90.1 1,231
Ogun 58.2 1,288 58.6 77.6 35.3 7.0 77.2 82.0 82.1 750
Ondo 48.5 603 69.8 82.3 54.0 11.9 76.3 88.8 75.3 292
Osun 47.6 627 52.7 80.4 50.5 15.1 81.9 87.4 82.2 298
Oyo 56.5 1,260 59.5 79.0 40.4 28.4 75.4 91.7 68.2 712
Education
No education 54.7 13,404 53.7 51.8 26.4 13.6 68.3 69.6 89.6 7,335
Primary 57.9 4,359 59.3 49.8 25.4 12.2 67.6 81.4 86.8 2,523
Secondary 66.6 15,948 62.6 55.6 29.2 13.3 73.1 84.9 85.8 10,622
More than secondary 86.5 5,339 72.8 67.7 38.5 16.3 83.7 91.3 86.3 4,616
Wealth quintile
Lowest 55.0 6,724 52.3 52.5 24.7 12.8 69.6 64.8 90.2 3,700
Second 55.1 7,348 54.7 48.5 26.1 13.4 65.1 76.1 87.9 4,047
Middle 62.0 7,812 60.1 51.3 27.9 14.8 71.1 82.4 86.2 4,841
Fourth 68.0 8,435 64.2 54.9 29.4 14.2 74.7 86.4 85.5 5,734
Highest 77.6 8,731 69.5 67.2 36.1 13.7 79.8 88.1 87.0 6,774
Total 64.3 39,050 61.5 56.2 29.7 13.8 73.1 81.3 87.1 25,096

73
Table 33 Knowledge about tuberculosis: Men
Percentage of men age 15–49 who have heard of tuberculosis (TB), and among men who have heard of TB, percentage who know about common symptoms of TB, percentage who know that TB is spread through the air by
coughing or sneezing, and percentage who would not keep it a secret if a family member is diagnosed with TB, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Among all respondents: Among respondents who have heard of TB:
Percentage who
Percentage who Percentage who report that they
report persistent report coughing Percentage who would not want to
coughing for 2 up blood or Percentage who Percentage who report that TB is keep it a secret if
weeks or more as sputum as a report weight loss report fever as a spread through Percentage who a family member
Background Percentage who Number of a common common as a common common coughing and believe that TB is diagnosed
characteristic have heard of TB respondents symptom symptom symptom symptom sneezing can be cured with TB Number of men
Age
15–19 50.0 2,230 47.8 62.4 22.4 16.8 70.1 86.5 80.4 1,116
20–24 62.2 1,590 46.3 64.7 28.0 19.9 71.2 91.0 86.6 989
25–29 74.3 1,475 48.9 66.3 29.9 18.4 72.8 90.4 88.0 1,096
30–34 76.9 1,427 53.7 69.1 28.8 20.0 76.7 90.5 86.2 1,098
35–39 80.0 1,640 51.7 70.1 33.6 20.1 73.4 91.9 86.1 1,312
40–44 79.8 1,439 56.7 69.3 33.8 18.8 75.7 91.3 85.3 1,149
45–49 81.9 1,127 56.1 71.5 34.6 21.1 81.6 92.4 86.3 924
Marital status
Never married 61.6 4,964 48.5 65.9 27.4 19.3 72.6 89.3 84.7 3,058
Married/living together 77.4 5,809 53.5 69.1 32.1 19.3 75.6 91.5 86.1 4,495
Divorced/separated/widowed 84.9 154 58.1 57.4 30.3 18.3 73.9 88.2 86.2 131
Residence
Urban 75.3 5,397 52.9 73.1 33.3 21.1 77.3 92.0 83.6 4,064
Rural 65.4 5,531 50.2 61.5 26.7 17.2 71.0 88.9 87.6 3,620
Zone
North Central 66.4 2,107 49.4 69.1 29.7 25.1 80.5 95.5 84.9 1,399
North East 65.4 1,720 51.4 49.5 20.5 17.6 66.0 90.6 93.6 1,124
North West 73.0 3,459 43.4 68.6 29.9 18.5 71.3 89.6 86.1 2,525
South East 76.8 849 70.0 70.5 29.4 13.6 81.3 84.2 81.8 652
South South 71.9 1,231 64.0 66.6 32.9 13.0 78.8 92.3 89.5 885
South West 70.4 1,560 52.6 81.3 39.8 23.6 74.1 88.7 75.8 1,098
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 72.2 267 68.2 62.7 25.7 8.1 89.6 99.8 82.0 193
Benue 93.1 285 35.1 57.2 24.7 42.4 85.3 93.6 75.2 266
Kogi 67.7 206 54.2 56.7 14.4 4.4 68.7 93.5 95.9 140
Kwara 39.2 275 50.3 82.6 31.3 7.5 88.1 89.9 72.6 108
Nasarawa 74.8 301 69.6 89.3 34.6 18.1 90.1 96.4 78.7 225
Niger 52.3 489 3.3 87.7 54.3 63.3 58.3 97.8 97.2 256
Plateau 74.8 284 80.8 47.4 13.8 2.7 86.9 94.2 90.7 213
North East
Adamawa 70.4 276 58.8 21.7 14.3 13.7 50.1 79.9 91.0 194
Bauchi 62.3 570 49.5 50.3 16.3 16.4 75.4 90.1 94.5 355
Borno 72.2 246 34.2 74.0 14.9 5.1 67.2 99.4 93.5 178
Gombe 74.7 202 59.7 86.1 53.5 39.1 80.7 96.6 94.6 151
Taraba 77.1 232 57.1 16.0 2.7 7.6 41.7 88.9 93.6 179
Yobe 34.6 193 52.3 68.4 48.4 47.3 91.5 93.0 94.1 67
Continued…

74
Table 33—Continued
Among all respondents: Among respondents who have heard of TB:
Percentage who
Percentage who Percentage who report that they
report persistent report coughing Percentage who would not want to
coughing for 2 up blood or Percentage who Percentage who report that TB is keep it a secret if
weeks or more as sputum as a report weight loss report fever as a spread through Percentage who a family member
Background Percentage who Number of a common common as a common common coughing and believe that TB is diagnosed
characteristic have heard of TB respondents symptom symptom symptom symptom sneezing can be cured with TB Number of men
North West
Jigawa 61.4 330 49.8 56.2 24.7 10.3 49.4 79.4 92.7 202
Kaduna 86.9 705 36.6 71.1 23.8 17.3 67.6 86.7 89.5 613
Kano 89.5 1,029 42.4 57.8 23.5 9.6 73.4 97.0 94.3 921
Katsina 66.1 479 75.1 83.3 46.9 34.9 90.1 98.3 56.4 317
Kebbi 54.7 231 33.2 77.9 66.2 27.1 88.7 93.7 94.6 127
Sokoto 64.9 357 39.8 81.5 41.8 45.1 73.3 74.0 76.4 232
Zamfara 34.7 329 7.3 86.2 12.1 2.4 39.0 67.4 81.7 114
South East
Abia 80.7 122 62.8 79.2 34.6 51.3 93.2 85.5 96.0 99
Anambra 91.5 191 55.7 89.3 35.3 9.2 79.3 70.5 66.5 175
Ebonyi 67.8 189 71.9 71.4 23.2 0.7 88.5 95.1 92.6 128
Enugu 44.3 135 83.7 82.2 9.1 9.9 89.8 92.7 44.3 60
Imo 89.8 212 81.2 44.6 31.8 8.0 69.4 86.0 93.0 191
South South
Akwa Ibom 70.3 178 95.9 26.0 10.7 6.4 85.2 97.5 92.6 125
Bayelsa 61.5 100 58.7 75.3 43.6 23.3 80.7 89.9 90.6 62
Cross River 75.9 140 54.1 77.2 27.6 8.7 77.8 93.9 87.4 106
Delta 72.5 249 67.9 63.4 38.5 6.9 81.1 88.8 85.7 181
Edo 61.8 197 69.3 79.0 31.7 8.4 81.7 92.9 88.0 122
Rivers 78.9 366 50.3 75.2 39.1 20.9 73.4 92.0 91.8 289
South West
Ekiti 46.8 68 92.8 85.5 46.4 3.0 90.4 87.3 94.7 32
Lagos 78.4 523 92.3 84.1 50.3 37.0 82.9 90.1 48.4 410
Ogun 58.9 321 30.7 86.7 26.0 9.4 73.1 79.3 87.8 189
Ondo 90.8 188 9.3 88.4 27.2 6.1 74.7 90.7 98.2 171
Osun 63.0 179 64.9 83.0 29.6 4.3 91.9 85.9 86.5 113
Oyo 65.3 281 12.3 61.4 47.5 40.3 41.1 95.3 94.0 183
Education
No education 56.2 2,462 39.3 61.9 28.0 18.8 67.7 87.8 89.2 1,383
Primary 67.4 1,159 50.5 62.3 23.0 13.9 68.6 91.0 85.9 781
Secondary 70.3 5,066 52.1 66.1 29.2 19.2 74.1 89.7 83.7 3,559
More than secondary 87.5 2,241 59.8 76.7 36.4 21.8 81.8 93.9 86.2 1,960
Wealth quintile
Lowest 55.2 1,776 45.8 58.3 25.0 19.9 66.0 86.0 88.1 981
Second 62.8 1,902 48.1 59.1 24.0 16.4 68.6 89.5 88.1 1,195
Middle 69.8 2,114 45.3 64.3 27.8 17.4 70.5 91.6 88.0 1,475
Fourth 74.7 2,523 52.2 69.4 30.0 19.6 78.0 92.3 87.6 1,886
Highest 82.2 2,612 59.9 77.5 37.8 21.5 80.8 91.0 79.5 2,148
Total 15–49 70.3 10,927 51.6 67.6 30.2 19.3 74.3 90.6 85.5 7,683
50–59 83.1 1,277 54.6 69.6 38.3 19.1 75.2 90.6 88.0 1,061
Total 15–59 71.7 12,204 52.0 67.9 31.2 19.2 74.5 90.6 85.8 8,745

75
 3.16.2 Stigma in the Community

Tables 34 and 35 show women’s and men’s beliefs and assumptions related to TB stigma.

▪ Twenty-six percent of women and 23% of men age 15–49 have correct beliefs and knowledge around
TB.

▪ Fifty-four percent of women and 47% of men say that they would not marry from the family of
someone who has TB.

▪ Fifty percent of women and men say that they would not use the same toilet seat as someone with TB.

Table 34 Stigma in the community regarding tuberculosis: Women

Among women who have heard of tuberculosis (TB), percentage with various beliefs and perceptions about TB, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS
2023–24
Among women who have heard of TB:
Percentage Percentage
who believe who believe Percentage Percentage Percentage
that people that people who believe who believe who believe Percentage
with TB should with TB should that they would that they would that people who believe Percentage
be admitted to be supported to not marry from not use the with TB that having with correct
a hospital until ensure that the family of same toilet as brought the TB is a beliefs and
Background the disease is they take their someone someone with disease upon punishment perceptions Number of
characteristic cured drugs with TB TB themselves from God about TB women
Age
15–19 91.6 97.4 58.2 54.5 16.1 18.7 20.8 4,107
20–24 91.7 97.4 53.8 50.9 13.0 18.1 24.3 4,276
25–29 90.7 97.2 53.3 52.0 13.2 16.2 23.9 4,270
30–34 90.6 97.8 52.1 48.7 11.9 14.9 27.1 3,826
35–39 90.6 97.3 52.4 46.3 12.4 14.6 27.3 3,499
40–44 91.6 97.6 50.5 47.6 11.2 13.8 29.9 2,915
45–49 92.3 98.0 52.4 48.3 13.0 16.5 27.9 2,204
Marital status
Never married 91.5 97.6 53.5 49.9 12.9 14.2 24.9 6,655
Married/living together 91.1 97.4 53.5 50.3 13.4 17.2 25.6 17,055
Divorced/separated/widowed 91.1 98.3 52.6 48.7 10.4 14.8 26.4 1,385
Residence
Urban 90.9 97.9 49.8 45.7 10.2 12.3 28.3 13,294
Rural 91.6 97.1 57.5 55.1 16.3 20.7 22.3 11,802
Zone
North Central 91.2 97.6 45.3 40.7 10.8 7.2 37.3 3,070
North East 90.0 95.5 57.6 53.2 15.6 24.5 20.7 4,359
North West 91.4 97.7 56.3 56.4 16.5 29.2 20.2 8,599
South East 92.4 98.3 62.9 61.2 13.2 6.4 20.0 2,405
South South 93.2 98.7 50.9 40.3 8.0 1.4 27.5 3,226
South West 89.6 97.9 44.2 40.1 7.9 2.3 36.2 3,437
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 96.4 99.4 16.0 12.3 0.7 1.3 75.9 497
Benue 88.7 98.9 54.4 58.5 8.4 6.5 24.7 724
Kogi 75.7 90.1 34.2 31.6 7.6 5.8 33.1 180
Kwara 95.2 98.2 37.9 29.4 7.0 2.7 50.8 178
Nasarawa 87.5 97.3 41.9 42.8 21.5 12.5 31.1 606
Niger 97.4 97.7 57.1 17.1 3.1 3.2 39.2 374
Plateau 93.9 96.7 62.6 65.0 19.4 12.9 20.1 512
North East
Adamawa 96.5 99.2 70.3 71.4 18.1 21.8 15.5 669
Bauchi 87.0 92.1 57.1 51.7 13.5 19.1 21.8 1,264
Borno 88.4 97.6 54.1 27.9 5.9 5.9 32.9 697
Gombe 83.0 95.8 58.7 59.4 10.3 35.5 13.4 499
Taraba 94.7 94.7 53.2 49.2 27.3 27.9 30.0 597
Yobe 92.2 96.8 52.0 63.5 21.0 47.1 7.5 632
North West
Jigawa 94.1 98.4 49.5 68.9 3.9 15.1 20.2 979
Kaduna 93.0 97.8 57.9 48.5 18.5 35.3 26.4 1,668
Kano 91.7 96.3 53.7 56.3 16.6 37.6 16.1 2,673
Katsina 77.7 99.1 48.7 52.6 7.2 17.8 16.5 1,164
Kebbi 93.2 97.5 54.1 51.6 18.5 19.1 36.5 698
Sokoto 98.5 98.3 72.8 58.3 50.4 44.3 13.3 773
Zamfara 96.9 98.6 69.9 67.8 4.1 13.3 18.1 643
Continued…

76
Table 34—Continued
Among women who have heard of TB:
Percentage Percentage
who believe who believe Percentage Percentage Percentage
that people that people who believe who believe who believe Percentage
with TB should with TB should that they would that they would that people who believe Percentage
be admitted to be supported to not marry from not use the with TB that having with correct
a hospital until ensure that the family of same toilet as brought the TB is a beliefs and
Background the disease is they take their someone someone with disease upon punishment perceptions Number of
characteristic cured drugs with TB TB themselves from God about TB women
South East
Abia 95.2 96.1 69.6 68.7 6.4 3.3 15.7 287
Anambra 85.6 99.0 61.0 65.9 8.8 3.4 19.0 584
Ebonyi 97.7 98.2 68.4 60.9 4.9 3.7 17.4 579
Enugu 86.0 97.1 62.7 64.8 3.4 2.4 17.7 262
Imo 95.2 99.2 57.1 52.9 30.5 14.1 25.6 692
South South
Akwa Ibom 90.0 97.0 44.2 48.0 12.2 4.0 29.4 365
Bayelsa 92.9 98.3 41.7 37.2 13.3 1.3 25.9 240
Cross River 97.1 98.4 65.1 41.2 7.6 2.0 23.7 469
Delta 85.1 99.2 32.9 31.8 10.1 0.9 32.3 703
Edo 93.9 98.8 61.6 61.0 9.7 1.8 16.7 547
Rivers 98.5 99.2 56.3 31.8 2.5 0.3 31.8 902
South West
Ekiti 92.5 99.0 52.4 56.0 3.0 0.4 27.8 153
Lagos 92.3 98.1 38.0 33.7 2.9 0.7 47.5 1,231
Ogun 92.0 98.6 48.8 47.7 9.2 2.5 30.1 750
Ondo 89.2 97.5 22.0 21.3 2.3 0.8 45.0 292
Osun 89.3 98.9 35.7 26.3 8.7 2.6 45.7 298
Oyo 82.0 96.2 61.0 53.3 18.0 5.8 17.2 712
Education
No education 90.8 96.2 58.1 55.5 18.0 25.0 20.9 7,335
Primary 91.6 97.5 55.5 54.1 13.3 19.2 22.6 2,523
Secondary 92.1 98.2 54.7 50.2 11.8 13.1 25.0 10,622
More than secondary 89.6 98.1 42.1 38.9 8.1 8.0 35.4 4,616
Wealth quintile
Lowest 92.0 96.7 57.6 56.3 18.5 24.3 21.9 3,700
Second 90.5 96.1 58.0 54.7 15.4 23.3 20.9 4,047
Middle 92.0 97.9 58.6 54.7 13.9 19.8 21.1 4,841
Fourth 91.2 98.0 53.5 49.0 12.3 14.6 25.2 5,734
Highest 90.8 98.1 44.7 41.5 8.8 6.6 33.6 6,774
Total 91.2 97.5 53.5 50.1 13.1 16.3 25.5 25,096

77
Table 35 Stigma in the community regarding tuberculosis: Men
Among men who have heard of tuberculosis (TB), percentage with various beliefs and perceptions about TB, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS
2023–24
Among men who have heard of TB:
Percentage Percentage
who believe who believe Percentage Percentage Percentage
that people that people who believe who believe who believe Percentage
with TB should with TB should that they would that they would that people who believe Percentage
be admitted to be supported to not marry from not use the with TB that having with correct
a hospital until ensure that the family of same toilet as brought the TB is a beliefs and
Background the disease is they take their someone someone with disease upon punishment perceptions Number
characteristic cured drugs with TB TB themselves from God about TB of men
Age
15–19 93.9 96.9 51.1 56.3 19.9 33.1 14.8 1,116
20–24 92.3 96.6 46.5 52.3 23.6 30.5 19.8 989
25–29 94.4 98.0 46.0 49.5 17.6 28.1 22.9 1,096
30–34 93.3 97.5 49.4 48.0 18.4 26.2 22.9 1,098
35–39 95.2 97.3 46.9 50.6 18.2 25.2 25.5 1,312
40–44 93.9 96.6 47.4 47.5 19.6 22.7 25.6 1,149
45–49 94.1 96.3 43.5 47.8 20.1 22.3 25.6 924
Marital status
Never married 93.6 97.2 48.0 52.8 19.8 29.1 18.8 3,058
Married/living together 94.2 97.0 46.8 48.5 19.1 25.1 25.2 4,495
Divorced/separated/widowed 92.2 97.1 54.0 52.4 25.7 32.8 15.6 131
Residence
Urban 92.7 96.8 44.0 48.7 18.0 19.2 24.7 4,064
Rural 95.3 97.4 51.1 52.2 21.2 35.4 20.0 3,620
Zone
North Central 93.8 96.8 37.3 44.1 16.2 9.4 34.1 1,399
North East 93.3 98.0 48.3 49.8 21.5 34.7 24.9 1,124
North West 95.9 97.4 51.6 54.4 18.3 56.9 12.4 2,525
South East 96.1 98.5 61.5 58.8 13.8 7.0 18.0 652
South South 90.9 97.7 43.7 45.9 18.8 4.3 29.2 885
South West 91.4 94.5 44.0 47.9 28.2 2.1 25.7 1,098
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 97.7 100.0 28.1 41.5 12.9 6.7 42.7 193
Benue 92.0 96.2 50.8 66.5 35.8 25.3 18.7 266
Kogi 89.2 97.1 41.4 41.5 24.5 10.6 26.2 140
Kwara 85.4 88.9 32.9 34.0 13.6 9.1 23.2 108
Nasarawa 96.3 97.7 33.3 34.4 5.5 3.1 41.7 225
Niger 98.5 99.1 40.1 32.3 6.4 5.2 46.5 256
Plateau 91.2 94.7 29.4 49.7 13.9 3.1 33.2 213
North East
Adamawa 95.7 98.9 44.2 71.7 41.8 48.8 6.8 194
Bauchi 95.8 99.2 48.0 38.4 9.3 21.8 30.2 355
Borno 95.1 95.1 10.2 11.7 1.8 4.3 75.5 178
Gombe 89.0 98.8 77.7 68.6 18.6 44.9 8.8 151
Taraba 91.6 99.1 65.4 69.0 42.1 64.8 1.7 179
Yobe 83.4 92.1 50.7 53.5 31.5 38.6 13.8 67
North West
Jigawa 86.8 90.2 70.7 72.4 35.6 50.5 3.0 202
Kaduna 95.6 99.3 42.2 41.7 31.5 57.9 17.4 613
Kano 97.7 98.7 53.7 68.9 11.2 78.5 5.6 921
Katsina 96.9 98.2 48.7 39.6 2.7 2.1 33.5 317
Kebbi 92.8 88.4 59.4 41.5 17.2 33.1 5.3 127
Sokoto 97.0 97.0 35.7 36.4 26.4 70.6 12.2 232
Zamfara 97.3 97.3 83.2 66.8 3.4 38.3 7.2 114
South East
Abia 87.5 98.3 64.8 51.6 4.2 0.5 17.2 99
Anambra 98.9 98.6 80.3 70.6 15.4 5.2 6.7 175
Ebonyi 98.8 98.8 53.1 63.0 11.6 3.2 21.0 128
Enugu 96.2 96.1 54.9 39.6 3.2 5.2 33.2 60
Imo 96.1 99.2 50.3 54.9 22.3 15.1 21.9 191
South South
Akwa Ibom 88.3 97.2 20.9 28.1 9.5 2.2 51.3 125
Bayelsa 93.7 93.9 67.9 63.8 58.3 9.1 8.2 62
Cross River 96.6 99.4 53.7 52.0 4.5 0.5 28.4 106
Delta 84.3 97.1 34.8 41.8 19.3 4.2 27.0 181
Edo 94.4 97.5 32.7 24.6 10.1 2.7 44.1 122
Rivers 92.0 98.6 54.9 59.1 23.1 6.4 19.5 289
Continued…

78
Table 35—Continued
Among men who have heard of TB:
Percentage Percentage
who believe who believe Percentage Percentage Percentage
that people that people who believe who believe who believe Percentage
with TB should with TB should that they would that they would that people who believe Percentage
be admitted to be supported to not marry from not use the with TB that having with correct
a hospital until ensure that the family of same toilet as brought the TB is a beliefs and
Background the disease is they take their someone someone with disease upon punishment perceptions Number
characteristic cured drugs with TB TB themselves from God about TB of men
South West
Ekiti 73.7 82.0 39.6 38.1 16.6 7.5 30.4 32
Lagos 90.9 95.6 55.4 61.3 53.7 1.3 13.3 410
Ogun 92.4 98.9 50.8 58.6 30.3 4.4 13.6 189
Ondo 93.3 93.6 23.6 7.6 1.8 0.0 54.4 171
Osun 93.8 96.9 63.2 69.6 7.7 2.3 19.0 113
Oyo 91.3 89.1 19.4 32.7 8.6 2.3 42.2 183
Education
No education 94.9 95.5 51.9 49.7 20.2 45.2 19.9 1,383
Primary 95.1 97.1 52.4 53.8 20.7 35.6 19.2 781
Secondary 93.8 97.2 48.7 51.6 20.4 24.0 20.9 3,559
More than secondary 93.0 97.9 39.6 47.1 17.0 15.7 28.5 1,960
Wealth quintile
Lowest 94.4 96.2 54.7 54.1 24.5 46.3 16.6 981
Second 94.8 96.7 50.1 50.3 21.0 38.2 20.9 1,195
Middle 95.2 97.1 49.0 51.4 18.5 34.3 22.1 1,475
Fourth 93.2 97.0 46.2 49.6 16.1 22.9 23.4 1,886
Highest 92.9 97.7 42.3 48.5 20.1 10.0 25.5 2,148
Total 15–49 93.9 97.1 47.4 50.3 19.5 26.9 22.5 7,683
50–59 93.8 96.7 47.8 51.0 19.5 26.7 23.8 1,061
Total 15–59 93.9 97.0 47.4 50.4 19.5 26.8 22.6 8,745

3.17 HYPERTENSION

Tables 36 and 37 show blood pressure diagnosis and treatment in women and men.

▪ Fifty-two percent of women and 32% of men age 15–49 have ever had their blood pressure measured
by a doctor or other health care worker.

▪ Eight percent of women and 5% of men have ever been told they have high blood pressure or
hypertension by a doctor or other health care worker.

▪ Among women who have been told in the past 12 months that they have hypertension, 72% were
prescribed medication for the high blood pressure and 54% are taking the medication.

▪ Among men who have been told in the past 12 months that they have hypertension, 69% were
prescribed medication and 51% are taking the medication.

79
Table 36 Blood pressure diagnosis and treatment: Women
Percentage of women age 15–49 who have ever had their blood pressure measured and percentage who have been told by a health care provider that
they have high blood pressure or hypertension, and among women who have been told they have high blood pressure, percentage told in the past 12
months they have high blood pressure or hypertension, percentage prescribed medication to control blood pressure, and percentage taking medication
to control blood pressure, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Among women who have been told by a doctor or other
Ever told that health care worker that they have high blood pressure
Ever had blood they have high or hypertension, percentage who were:
pressure blood pressure Told in the past
measured by a or hypertension 12 months that Prescribed Taking
doctor or other by a doctor or they have high medication to medication to
Background health care other health care Number of blood pressure control blood control blood Number of
characteristic worker worker women or hypertension pressure pressure women
Age
15–19 16.3 1.1 8,105 42.1 53.4 35.5 87
20–24 46.6 4.2 6,853 56.2 64.4 40.5 285
25–29 59.4 6.3 6,443 50.3 66.4 44.6 406
30–34 65.5 9.0 5,583 53.7 69.4 48.3 501
35–39 69.2 12.1 4,900 63.1 72.6 56.7 591
40–44 69.2 16.3 4,105 63.7 75.5 58.0 671
45–49 69.7 18.6 3,062 70.1 82.3 65.8 570
Residence
Urban 60.5 9.2 18,846 60.5 72.9 55.7 1,733
Rural 44.4 6.8 20,204 59.6 71.8 51.0 1,378
Zone
North Central 47.0 7.1 7,068 56.4 66.4 51.5 501
North East 51.2 10.4 6,213 63.5 70.5 57.1 646
North West 44.4 7.4 12,434 59.7 78.0 53.9 925
South East 56.9 6.2 3,280 71.0 79.7 62.8 205
South South 61.6 8.7 4,416 55.5 67.4 40.8 386
South West 66.6 8.0 5,640 59.2 71.2 57.3 448
North Central
FCT-Abuja 58.1 10.5 764 69.1 72.1 56.5 80
Benue 49.3 7.8 1,008 58.5 68.6 52.9 78
Kogi 47.3 6.1 604 54.6 75.2 62.9 37
Kwara 30.6 9.3 790 41.1 56.5 43.2 74
Nasarawa 51.8 11.1 963 55.2 68.0 54.9 107
Niger 50.1 3.5 1,845 (62.0) (57.4) (51.1) 65
Plateau 39.2 5.5 1,093 52.4 70.0 40.8 60
North East
Adamawa 50.2 13.6 932 74.8 80.7 62.3 127
Bauchi 48.5 11.5 1,838 50.9 49.9 43.0 211
Borno 72.9 13.4 1,073 66.6 77.3 65.5 144
Gombe 72.8 8.4 610 73.4 88.5 80.3 51
Taraba 18.7 3.7 806 (80.7) (88.8) (79.7) 30
Yobe 46.4 8.7 954 61.0 77.6 47.9 83
North West
Jigawa 67.6 6.8 1,258 47.6 86.5 47.6 86
Kaduna 53.9 7.7 2,420 51.1 80.2 59.1 187
Kano 51.0 12.4 3,660 63.7 74.3 48.3 455
Katsina 49.3 6.8 1,778 67.2 89.1 65.2 121
Kebbi 4.5 1.5 925 (77.2) (92.7) (92.7) 14
Sokoto 21.9 2.2 1,238 (46.6) (57.9) (44.2) 27
Zamfara 27.2 3.0 1,154 (61.4) (65.4) (67.1) 35
South East
Abia 51.0 7.7 418 63.4 67.1 28.8 32
Anambra 65.6 8.1 707 79.6 91.5 81.6 57
Ebonyi 53.5 2.6 950 (56.8) (66.4) (28.7) 25
Enugu 33.9 4.6 502 (66.7) (71.1) (65.2) 23
Imo 72.6 9.7 704 74.0 83.5 74.5 68
South South
Akwa Ibom 72.2 14.3 570 57.3 68.3 26.7 82
Bayelsa 56.5 10.9 317 68.9 69.3 52.1 35
Cross River 59.7 7.3 524 38.2 61.6 26.3 38
Delta 74.6 10.4 1,010 50.4 66.8 39.6 105
Edo 59.3 5.9 661 58.7 71.5 49.3 39
Rivers 50.2 6.6 1,333 60.5 67.3 53.5 88
South West
Ekiti 47.5 7.2 276 (70.8) (83.8) (63.4) 20
Lagos 73.3 9.6 1,586 62.1 75.6 51.6 152
Ogun 70.7 7.8 1,288 69.4 76.2 68.2 101
Ondo 37.1 4.8 603 (8.5) (14.3) (12.3) 29
Osun 68.7 5.5 627 (43.7) (78.5) (79.0) 34
Oyo 71.2 9.0 1,260 61.9 71.0 59.2 113
Continued…

80
Table 36—Continued
Among women who have been told by a doctor or other
Ever told that health care worker that they have high blood pressure
Ever had blood they have high or hypertension, percentage who were:
pressure blood pressure Told in the past
measured by a or hypertension 12 months that Prescribed Taking
doctor or other by a doctor or they have high medication to medication to
Background health care other health care Number of blood pressure control blood control blood Number of
characteristic worker worker women or hypertension pressure pressure women
Education
No education 41.6 7.2 13,404 59.6 74.2 53.5 969
Primary 57.5 10.4 4,359 60.7 74.4 53.8 453
Secondary 51.6 6.8 15,948 59.5 70.6 52.5 1,083
More than secondary 76.0 11.3 5,339 61.6 71.2 55.7 605
Wealth quintile
Lowest 35.1 5.8 6,724 55.8 69.2 48.4 389
Second 42.8 5.6 7,348 59.7 72.3 52.6 415
Middle 51.5 8.9 7,812 60.6 73.4 51.7 697
Fourth 57.9 8.6 8,435 57.7 73.8 54.8 727
Highest 68.2 10.1 8,731 63.8 71.9 57.0 883
Total 52.1 8.0 39,050 60.1 72.4 53.6 3,111

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases.

Table 37 Blood pressure diagnosis and treatment: Men

Percentage of men age 15–49 who have ever had their blood pressure measured and percentage who have been told by a health care provider that
they have high blood pressure or hypertension, and among men who have been told they have high blood pressure, percentage told in the past 12
months they have high blood pressure or hypertension, percentage prescribed medication to control blood pressure, and percentage taking medication
to control blood pressure, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Among men who have been told by a doctor or other health care
Ever told that worker that they have high blood pressure or hypertension,
Ever had blood they have high percentage who were:
pressure blood pressure Told in the past
measured by a or hypertension 12 months that Prescribed Taking
doctor or other by a doctor or they have high medication to medication to
Background health care other health care blood pressure control blood control blood
characteristic worker worker Number of men or hypertension pressure pressure Number of men
Age
15–19 10.1 0.5 2,230 * * * 10
20–24 18.5 2.2 1,590 (54.5) (73.4) (57.4) 36
25–29 27.8 3.5 1,475 43.8 58.1 37.3 52
30–34 39.1 4.7 1,427 53.8 66.0 40.4 68
35–39 42.0 5.7 1,640 62.8 61.5 46.5 93
40–44 46.9 9.7 1,439 56.7 68.8 50.4 140
45–49 52.6 9.5 1,127 74.5 81.9 67.9 107
Residence
Urban 41.3 5.8 5,397 60.4 71.9 50.3 312
Rural 22.0 3.5 5,531 58.0 63.5 51.7 194
Zone
North Central 41.1 5.9 2,107 73.8 78.8 69.4 123
North East 16.0 3.8 1,720 49.6 56.7 44.8 66
North West 17.0 2.7 3,459 49.9 54.1 38.2 93
South East 38.1 3.3 849 (62.3) (79.1) (58.1) 28
South South 44.7 7.8 1,231 55.7 75.1 35.8 96
South West 53.8 6.4 1,560 60.1 68.4 55.8 100
North Central
FCT-Abuja 49.9 9.3 267 (81.4) (87.3) (78.6) 25
Benue 59.8 4.3 285 * * * 12
Kogi 40.3 18.2 206 87.5 95.5 92.5 37
Kwara 27.5 4.2 275 * * * 12
Nasarawa 51.0 6.6 301 * * * 20
Niger 31.6 1.7 489 * * * 9
Plateau 33.8 3.0 284 * * * 8
North East
Adamawa 18.2 8.2 276 * * * 23
Bauchi 9.6 1.8 570 * * * 10
Borno 6.6 3.1 246 * * * 8
Gombe 28.8 2.3 202 * * * 5
Taraba 23.4 3.7 232 * * * 9
Yobe 21.1 6.6 193 * * * 13
Continued…

81
Table 37—Continued
Among men who have been told by a doctor or other health care
Ever told that worker that they have high blood pressure or hypertension,
Ever had blood they have high percentage who were:
pressure blood pressure Told in the past
measured by a or hypertension 12 months that Prescribed Taking
doctor or other by a doctor or they have high medication to medication to
Background health care other health care blood pressure control blood control blood
characteristic worker worker Number of men or hypertension pressure pressure Number of men
North West
Jigawa 14.9 3.6 330 * * * 12
Kaduna 28.2 6.8 705 (39.5) (44.6) (30.0) 48
Kano 20.8 1.9 1,029 * * * 20
Katsina 15.7 0.8 479 * * * 4
Kebbi 6.7 1.2 231 * * * 3
Sokoto 4.6 0.8 357 * * * 3
Zamfara 6.4 1.0 329 * * * 3
South East
Abia 40.1 3.9 122 * * * 5
Anambra 37.8 2.3 191 * * * 4
Ebonyi 30.0 1.3 189 * * * 2
Enugu 30.9 4.8 135 * * * 6
Imo 49.1 4.8 212 * * * 10
South South
Akwa Ibom 54.6 3.7 178 * * * 7
Bayelsa 13.3 2.5 100 * * * 3
Cross River 39.9 4.6 140 * * * 6
Delta 54.5 11.4 249 (51.3) (85.0) (28.2) 28
Edo 47.7 9.4 197 * * * 18
Rivers 42.2 9.1 366 (52.4) (80.4) (40.0) 33
South West
Ekiti 38.3 3.6 68 * * * 2
Lagos 79.6 6.1 523 * * * 32
Ogun 57.6 8.8 321 * * * 28
Ondo 42.2 10.7 188 (55.0) (64.2) (72.5) 20
Osun 25.7 5.4 179 * * * 10
Oyo 30.9 2.7 281 * * * 8
Education
No education 11.6 2.0 2,462 (49.2) (55.6) (39.5) 48
Primary 27.5 4.8 1,159 41.7 57.2 50.5 56
Secondary 30.8 4.0 5,066 60.8 72.4 53.1 204
More than secondary 57.0 8.8 2,241 65.6 71.3 51.3 198
Wealth quintile
Lowest 8.5 2.3 1,776 (47.1) (45.2) (41.4) 41
Second 17.8 3.3 1,902 47.5 60.2 42.0 63
Middle 28.4 4.4 2,114 64.9 69.4 51.7 93
Fourth 36.7 4.5 2,523 55.0 74.6 57.9 113
Highest 54.7 7.5 2,612 66.0 72.6 51.1 196
Total 15–49 31.5 4.6 10,927 59.5 68.7 50.8 506
50–59 58.3 16.5 1,277 72.2 84.4 70.5 210
Total 15–59 34.3 5.9 12,204 63.2 73.3 56.6 716

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases
and has been suppressed.

3.18 DIABETES

Tables 38 and 39 show blood sugar diagnosis and treatment in women and men.

▪ Nineteen percent of women and 17% of men age 15–49 have ever had their blood sugar measured by a
doctor or other health care worker.

▪ One percent each of women and men have ever been told they have high blood sugar or diabetes by a
doctor or other health care worker.

▪ Among women who have been told in the past 12 months that they have high blood sugar, 60% were
prescribed blood sugar medication and 53% are taking the medication.

▪ Among men who have been told in the past 12 months that they have high blood sugar, 55% were
prescribed medication and 39% are taking the medication.

82
Table 38 Blood sugar diagnosis and treatment: Women
Percentage of women age 15–49 who have ever had their blood sugar measured and percentage who have been told by a health
care provider that they have high blood sugar or diabetes, and among women who have been told they have high blood sugar,
percentage told in the past 12 months they have high blood sugar or diabetes, percentage prescribed medication to control blood
sugar, and percentage taking medication to control blood sugar, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Among women who have been told by a doctor or other
health care worker that they have high blood sugar or
Ever told that diabetes, percentage who were:
they have Told in the
Ever had high blood past 12
blood sugar sugar or months that
measured by diabetes by a they have Prescribed Taking
a doctor or doctor or high blood medication to medication to
Background other health other health Number of sugar or control blood control blood Number of
characteristic care worker care worker women diabetes sugar sugar women
Age
15–19 2.8 0.2 8,105 * * * 14
20–24 11.9 0.3 6,853 * * * 22
25–29 19.9 0.7 6,443 (40.5) (27.8) (20.4) 47
30–34 24.9 0.9 5,583 (40.4) (44.5) (33.1) 51
35–39 27.7 1.1 4,900 47.7 49.7 42.5 53
40–44 29.2 2.4 4,105 70.2 75.5 65.4 97
45–49 31.3 2.7 3,062 77.5 80.2 81.7 83
Residence
Urban 26.4 1.2 18,846 66.0 65.4 57.7 228
Rural 11.2 0.7 20,204 46.7 52.1 44.0 138
Zone
North Central 16.9 1.0 7,068 67.8 69.0 55.7 71
North East 9.5 1.0 6,213 61.3 62.6 62.3 64
North West 9.7 0.6 12,434 (53.4) (55.4) (54.1) 80
South East 25.4 0.8 3,280 (69.6) (73.3) (64.2) 27
South South 32.4 1.5 4,416 56.0 61.9 44.2 67
South West 35.0 1.0 5,640 (49.8) (46.5) (39.5) 58
North Central
FCT-Abuja 41.3 2.8 764 * * * 21
Benue 16.8 0.6 1,008 * * * 6
Kogi 26.6 0.8 604 * * * 5
Kwara 8.8 2.3 790 * * * 18
Nasarawa 23.3 0.9 963 * * * 8
Niger 7.3 0.1 1,845 * * * 3
Plateau 11.4 0.8 1,093 * * * 9
North East
Adamawa 10.1 0.2 932 * * * 2
Bauchi 13.4 1.9 1,838 * * * 34
Borno 5.6 1.5 1,073 * * * 16
Gombe 17.5 0.4 610 * * * 3
Taraba 2.0 0.1 806 * * * 1
Yobe 7.3 0.9 954 * * * 8
North West
Jigawa 6.9 0.0 1,258 * * * 1
Kaduna 11.1 0.3 2,420 * * * 7
Kano 10.9 1.1 3,660 * * * 42
Katsina 8.4 0.5 1,778 * * * 9
Kebbi 1.4 0.0 925 * * * 0
Sokoto 7.1 0.7 1,238 * * * 9
Zamfara 17.5 1.1 1,154 * * * 12
South East
Abia 32.6 0.9 418 * * * 4
Anambra 31.2 1.5 707 * * * 10
Ebonyi 11.2 0.5 950 * * * 5
Enugu 13.5 0.5 502 * * * 3
Imo 43.1 0.9 704 * * * 6
South South
Akwa Ibom 37.1 2.8 570 * * * 16
Bayelsa 27.2 1.4 317 * * * 4
Cross River 27.5 0.6 524 * * * 3
Delta 35.8 1.7 1,010 * * * 17
Edo 27.6 1.3 661 * * * 8
Rivers 33.2 1.3 1,333 * * * 18
South West
Ekiti 17.3 0.1 276 * * * 0
Lagos 50.3 1.9 1,586 * * * 30
Ogun 36.9 0.9 1,288 * * * 12
Ondo 24.9 0.6 603 * * * 4
Osun 30.6 0.5 627 * * * 3
Oyo 24.8 0.7 1,260 * * * 9
Continued…

83
Table 38—Continued
Among women who have been told by a doctor or other
health care worker that they have high blood sugar or
Ever told that diabetes, percentage who were:
they have Told in the
Ever had high blood past 12
blood sugar sugar or months that
measured by diabetes by a they have Prescribed Taking
a doctor or doctor or high blood medication to medication to
Background other health other health Number of sugar or control blood control blood Number of
characteristic care worker care worker women diabetes sugar sugar women
Education
No education 7.1 0.6 13,404 56.6 60.7 54.2 77
Primary 16.2 1.0 4,359 (69.1) (69.4) (60.5) 44
Secondary 20.2 0.8 15,948 59.3 63.9 53.2 122
More than secondary 44.3 2.3 5,339 55.7 53.6 48.0 123
Wealth quintile
Lowest 4.5 0.4 6,724 * * * 28
Second 7.5 0.4 7,348 (67.5) (65.6) (54.8) 30
Middle 14.2 1.0 7,812 51.1 63.9 53.3 76
Fourth 22.3 1.0 8,435 59.2 57.2 46.5 83
Highest 38.9 1.7 8,731 65.7 63.5 58.8 150
Total 18.5 0.9 39,050 58.7 60.4 52.5 367

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25
unweighted cases and has been suppressed.

Table 39 Blood sugar diagnosis and treatment: Men

Percentage of men age 15–49 who have ever had their blood sugar measured and percentage who have been told by a health care
provider that they have high blood sugar or diabetes, and among men who have been told they have high blood sugar, percentage
told in the past 12 months they have high blood sugar or diabetes, percentage prescribed medication to control blood sugar, and
percentage taking medication to control blood sugar, according to background characteristics, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Among men who have been told by a doctor or other health
care worker that they have high blood sugar or diabetes,
Ever told that percentage who were:
they have Told in the
Ever had high blood past 12
blood sugar sugar or months that
measured by diabetes by a they have Prescribed Taking
a doctor or doctor or high blood medication to medication to
Background other health other health Number of sugar or control blood control blood Number of
characteristic care worker care worker men diabetes sugar sugar men
Age
15–19 4.4 0.2 2,230 * * * 5
20–24 8.8 0.8 1,590 * * * 13
25–29 12.8 1.0 1,475 * * * 14
30–34 21.5 1.6 1,427 * * * 23
35–39 23.9 1.7 1,640 (45.9) (61.5) (27.3) 28
40–44 26.7 2.0 1,439 (66.4) (69.5) (48.6) 29
45–49 33.3 3.2 1,127 (62.3) (63.8) (49.8) 36
Residence
Urban 24.7 1.8 5,397 49.5 58.4 36.3 99
Rural 10.0 0.9 5,531 51.1 48.5 45.1 48
Zone
North Central 18.3 1.6 2,107 (56.8) (50.7) (53.6) 35
North East 6.0 0.7 1,720 * * * 12
North West 7.8 0.7 3,459 * * * 23
South East 26.6 0.9 849 * * * 7
South South 29.3 2.8 1,231 (48.8) (64.4) (32.2) 34
South West 34.7 2.3 1,560 (47.6) (50.4) (36.2) 36
North Central
FCT-Abuja 31.2 0.8 267 * * * 2
Benue 15.1 0.9 285 * * * 2
Kogi 11.8 4.5 206 * * * 9
Kwara 16.7 0.9 275 * * * 2
Nasarawa 30.2 4.4 301 * * * 13
Niger 8.8 0.6 489 * * * 3
Plateau 19.7 0.8 284 * * * 2
Continued…

84
Table 39—Continued
Among men who have been told by a doctor or other health
care worker that they have high blood sugar or diabetes,
Ever told that percentage who were:
they have Told in the
Ever had high blood past 12
blood sugar sugar or months that
measured by diabetes by a they have Prescribed Taking
a doctor or doctor or high blood medication to medication to
Background other health other health Number of sugar or control blood control blood Number of
characteristic care worker care worker men diabetes sugar sugar men
North East
Adamawa 5.0 0.2 276 * * * 0
Bauchi 3.3 1.0 570 * * * 6
Borno 1.2 0.7 246 * * * 2
Gombe 13.6 0.3 202 * * * 1
Taraba 9.2 0.7 232 * * * 2
Yobe 9.9 0.9 193 * * * 2
North West
Jigawa 5.6 1.2 330 * * * 4
Kaduna 9.9 1.1 705 * * * 8
Kano 11.0 0.6 1,029 * * * 6
Katsina 9.4 0.3 479 * * * 1
Kebbi 1.1 0.0 231 * * * 0
Sokoto 1.8 0.4 357 * * * 1
Zamfara 4.1 0.7 329 * * * 2
South East
Abia 17.8 0.8 122 * * * 1
Anambra 29.9 0.7 191 * * * 1
Ebonyi 23.5 0.3 189 * * * 1
Enugu 18.7 0.7 135 * * * 1
Imo 36.4 1.6 212 * * * 3
South South
Akwa Ibom 32.9 1.1 178 * * * 2
Bayelsa 10.3 0.0 100 * * * 0
Cross River 27.8 1.1 140 * * * 2
Delta 40.1 4.8 249 * * * 12
Edo 19.5 3.6 197 * * * 7
Rivers 31.1 3.2 366 * * * 12
South West
Ekiti 15.6 0.9 68 * * * 1
Lagos 68.0 4.2 523 * * * 22
Ogun 28.2 1.0 321 * * * 3
Ondo 15.0 3.8 188 * * * 7
Osun 11.1 0.0 179 * * * 0
Oyo 13.0 1.0 281 * * * 3
Education
No education 4.3 0.7 2,462 * * * 18
Primary 11.5 1.1 1,159 * * * 13
Secondary 16.0 1.4 5,066 44.5 54.8 36.2 69
More than secondary 37.4 2.1 2,241 (61.9) (63.3) (46.4) 47
Wealth quintile
Lowest 2.4 0.3 1,776 * * * 5
Second 6.6 1.0 1,902 * * * 19
Middle 12.0 1.1 2,114 (57.3) (68.2) (43.7) 23
Fourth 19.2 1.6 2,523 (51.9) (69.2) (39.7) 40
Highest 37.5 2.3 2,612 52.4 50.7 35.5 60
Total 15–49 17.3 1.3 10,927 50.0 55.1 39.2 147
50–59 38.2 3.9 1,277 77.0 70.8 66.2 50
Total 15–59 19.4 1.6 12,204 56.8 59.1 46.0 196

Note: Figures in parentheses are based on 25–49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25
unweighted cases and has been suppressed.

85
3.19 WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING REGARDING SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE
HEALTH

Informed decision making on sexual relations, contraceptive use, and

reproductive health
Women are considered to make their own informed decisions on sexual
relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive health if (1) they can say no to
their husband if they do not want to have sexual intercourse, (2) they make
decisions about use of family planning alone or jointly with their husband, and
(3) they make decisions about their own health care alone or jointly with their
husband.
Sample: Currently married women age 15–49

Table 40 shows the proportion of currently married women age 15–49 who make their own informed
decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive health care, corresponding to
SDG 5.6.1.

▪ Overall, 29% of currently married women report making informed decisions on all three aspects of
their sexual and reproductive health.

▪ There is a steep increase in women’s participation in decision making around their sexual and
reproductive health with increasing education: only 9% of women with no education make their own
informed decisions in these areas, as compared with 58% of women with more than a secondary
education.

▪ The percentage of women who participate in decision making around their sexual and reproductive
health also increases sharply with increasing household wealth, from 9% in the lowest wealth quintile
to 58% in the highest quintile.

Table 40 Women’s participation in decision making regarding sexual

and reproductive health
Percentage of currently married women age 15–49 who make their own
informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and
reproductive health care, Nigeria DHS 2023–24
Percentage who
make decisions
regarding sexual
relations,
contraceptive use, Number of
Background and reproductive currently married
1
characteristic care women
Age
15–19 8.6 1,455
20–24 17.4 4,073
25–29 25.3 5,240
30–34 31.2 4,959
35–39 34.8 4,386
40–44 38.4 3,604
45–49 37.1 2,546
Employment (past 12 months)
Not employed 12.0 8,840
Employed for cash 37.8 15,565
Employed not for cash 32.9 1,859
Residence
Urban 44.6 11,003
Rural 17.4 15,261
Continued…

86
Table 40—Continued
Percentage who
make decisions
regarding sexual
relations,
contraceptive use, Number of
Background and reproductive currently married
1
characteristic care women
Zone
North Central 28.6 4,810
North East 15.3 4,409
North West 6.7 9,335
South East 56.5 1,851
South South 72.7 2,356
South West 60.7 3,504
State
North Central
FCT-Abuja 51.4 437
Benue 34.5 615
Kogi 47.1 422
Kwara 35.1 531
Nasarawa 24.4 656
Niger 5.8 1,453
Plateau 44.0 696
North East
Adamawa 9.8 619
Bauchi 9.4 1,440
Borno 34.9 752
Gombe 13.9 432
Taraba 20.8 483
Yobe 7.9 681
North West
Jigawa 8.0 948
Kaduna 10.0 1,834
Kano 6.6 2,421
Katsina 6.0 1,439
Kebbi 2.5 758
Sokoto 5.1 990
Zamfara 5.9 946
South East
Abia 66.1 221
Anambra 55.2 400
Ebonyi 43.9 531
Enugu 70.7 269
Imo 59.4 430
South South
Akwa Ibom 64.1 328
Bayelsa 50.5 169
Cross River 66.2 269
Delta 73.8 553
Edo 78.3 344
Rivers 80.9 694
South West
Ekiti 66.2 148
Lagos 60.3 955
Ogun 64.5 824
Ondo 40.5 350
Osun 71.2 389
Oyo 59.9 838
Education
No education 8.5 11,559
Primary 29.8 3,204
Secondary 45.5 8,292
More than secondary 57.7 3,209
Wealth quintile
Lowest 8.8 5,494
Second 14.4 5,552
Middle 25.2 5,133
Fourth 40.4 4,882
Highest 57.9 5,203
Total 28.8 26,264

1
Percentage of women who can say no to their husband if they do not want
to have sexual intercourse, who make decisions about use of family planning
alone or jointly with their husband, and who make decisions about their own
health care alone or jointly with their husband

87
REFERENCES

Bradley, S. E. K., T. N. Croft, J. D. Fishel, and C. F. Westoff. 2012. Revising Unmet Need for Family
Planning. DHS Analytical Studies No. 25. Calverton, Maryland, USA: ICF International.

Ukazu, I. 2022. Dealing with Diarrhoea: Nigeria Introduces Rotavirus Vaccine into Its Immunization
Plan. https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/dealing-diarrhoea-nigeria-introduces-rotavirus-vaccine-its-
immunisation-plan.

Van Lerberghe, W., and V. De Brouwere. 2001. Of Blind Alleys and Things That Have Worked: History’s
Lessons on Reducing Maternal Mortality. In: De Brouwere, V., and W. Van Lerberghe, eds. Safe
Motherhood Strategies: A Recent Review of the Evidence. Antwerp: ITG Press, 7–33.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2003. World Health Report 2003. Geneva: WHO.
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/42789.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2006a. Standards for Maternal and Neonatal Care. Geneva: WHO.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241511216.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2006b. Child Growth Standards. Geneva: WHO.

World Health Organization (WHO). 2015. Postnatal Care for Mothers and Newborns: Highlights from the
World Health Organization 2013 Guidelines. In: Postnatal Care Guidelines, March 2015. Geneva: WHO.
http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/publications/WHO-MCA-PNC-2014- Briefer_A4.pdf.

World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). 2021. Indicators for
Assessing Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices: Definitions and Measurement Methods. Geneva:
WHO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240018389.

88