Healthcare in Nigeria: Demographic and Life Expectancy

Healthcare in Nigeria: Demographic and Life Expectancy

By Adedeji Adeniyi

Nigeria is the most populous black Nation in the world with a population of approximately 225 million and growing, as of 2022. With almost half of its population under the age of 18, it has the third-largest young population in the world, behind China and India. By 2050, this figure could double to reach around 400 million people. The population of Nigeria has significantly increased during the past 50 years. Lagos, the largest city in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as Nigeria, is the continent’s largest city.

Nigeria has the second-highest doctor density among West African nations, which is still quite low when compared to the actual demand for such a populous country. Compared to private donations, government spending on health is far lower—by more

than two trillion Nigerian naira. The health sector accounts for about 3% of the country’s GDP, which is significantly less than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s average per-country healthcare expenditure of $19.2 billion.

Additionally, the majority of OECD members have high incomes, but Nigeria is a developing nation with a lower middle-class income that’s fast eroding. Typically, Nigeria must allocate more towards Total Health Expenditure. With the high poverty index and absence of health insurance, healthcare expenditure is majorly outof-pocket, accounting for 77%. This means the already impoverished citizens still must use their limited resources to pay for their healthcare. Unsurprisingly, Nigeria is rated fourth on the list of nations

with the lowest life expectancy in the world, given that healthcare costs accounted for an average of 6% of household spending in 2019—they were greater in rural than in urban areas. These circumstances and debilitating factors are major contributory factors behind the diminished life expectancy in this part of the world.

What is Life Expectancy?

According to actuarial data, a person’s life expectancy

is the average age they can be anticipated to live up to. A national statistical body in many nations uses a huge quantity of data to calculate this actuarial age. The financial industry uses it for a variety of purposes, including pension planning and life insurance, to name a few.

The single most important factor used by insurance firms to set life insurance premiums is life expectancy. Using actuarial tables provided by Internal Revenue Service, these companies try to minimize the liability risk.

Chart and table of Nigeria’s life expectancy from 1950 to 2022. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

The two most significant factors influencing your life expectancy are your demographics and socioeconomic status. According to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources, the life expectancy at birth in Nigeria was reported at 55 years in 2020. Life expectancy at birth in Nigeria is among the lowest in Africa as well as in the world. Additional factors that can influence your life

expectancy include: - your race, personal health, family medical history, and whether you smoke cigarettes or make other risky lifestyle choices.

It’s important to note that life expectancy changes over time and overall, human life expectancy has been rapidly increasing during the past two hundred years, particularly in developing countries. In 2020, the average life expectancy in the United States is 78.9 years.

Average Life Expectancy in Nigeria

The current life expectancy for Nigeria in 2022 is 55.44 years, a 0.57% increase from 2021.

The life expectancy for Nigeria in 2021 was 55.12 years, a 0.57% increase from 2020.

The life expectancy for Nigeria in 2020 was 54.81 years, a 0.58% increase from 2019.

The life expectancy for Nigeria in 2019 was 54.49 years, a 0.58% increase from 2018.

The fact that the life expectancy value has been steadily increasing shows that the factors influencing longer life have improved. However, Nigeria’s consistent increase in life expectancy cannot be compared to some developed nations in America, Asia, and Europe.

Nigeria’s low life expectancy rate can be traced to specific economic, social, and developmental factors. These issues include malnutrition,

high maternal as well as infant mortality rates, and the widespread growth of the polio virus in the world. However, this can be improved by tackling the major problems facing the population of the country. Some of these solutions include increasing job creation, creating employment opportunities, increasing the minimum wage of workers, increasing the proportion of Nigeria’s national budget spent on health, and stabilizing the country’s micro and macro economy by implementing the right policies.