Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia was 37.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria is 37.9%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria peaked at 50.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 37.9%, in 2023.
That places Nigeria 36th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 50.3% | — |
| 2001 | 49.9% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 49.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 48.7% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 48.2% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 47.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 47.1% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 46.4% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 45.6% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 44.9% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 44.2% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 43.5% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 42.9% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 42.3% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 41.8% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 41.2% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 40.7% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 40.1% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 39.5% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 38.9% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 38.4% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 38.1% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 37.9% | -0.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 37.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33.5%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 37.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.4%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.2% | 45.6% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.1% | 39.5% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.3% | 37.9% | 38.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 33 Tanzania, United Republic of 38.8% compare
- 34 Bahrain 38.4% compare
- 35 Cambodia 38.0% compare
- 37 Bangladesh 37.6% compare
- 38 Guyana 37.5% compare
- 39 Tajikistan 37.3% compare
More gender data for Nigeria
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 99,803 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6887 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 162,578 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 162,578 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.75 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 3.55 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 3.66 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 3.45 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 3.54 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria?
- Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Nigeria was 37.9% in 2023, according to Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 50.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.9% in 2023.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia?
- Nigeria ranks 36th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49) with anemia. Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.