Only 40% of births registered in Nigeria — NPC

By Folarin Kehinde

ABUJA — The National Population Commission, NPC, has raised the alarm that only about 40 per cent of births in Nigeria are currently registered, despite more than five million children being born in the country annually.

The Commission disclosed this in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, CRVS, Day.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the NPC, Dr Aminu Yusuf, said the low registration coverage, particularly of births and deaths, remained a major challenge to Nigeria’s efforts to build a comprehensive and reliable national population database.

Yusuf, however, said the Commission had taken a major step towards closing the gap with the nationwide launch of a fully digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system on the Vital Rights Platform on July 1, 2026.