Nigeria birth registration rate stands at 40 percent

Nigeria’s National Population Commission (NPC) has reported that only approximately 40 per cent of births in the country are currently registered. Dr. Aminu Yusuf, Chairman of the NPC, noted that with over five million children born annually in Nigeria, the low registration rate and unacceptably low death registration coverage present significant challenges for national planning and social protection.

To address these gaps, the NPC is transitioning to a fully digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system via the VitalReg platform, scheduled for implementation on July 1, 2026. This digital shift aims to improve data security, efficiency, and reliability while reducing duplication through automated verification.

In a joint effort with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), and UNICEF, targeted registration drives have already reached more than 14.5 million children. These efforts focus on rural, hard-to-reach, and humanitarian settings, strengthening the links between health facilities and community registration services in states such as Bayelsa, Gombe, Jigawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Niger, and Zamfara.