The National Population Commission has raised concern that only about 40 per cent of births in Nigeria are currently registered, even though more than five million children are born in the country every year.

The disclosure was made in Abuja during the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Day.

NPC Chairman Dr Aminu Yusuf said the low registration of births and deaths remains a major obstacle to building a reliable national population database. He noted that the recent nationwide launch of a fully digital Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system on the Vital Rights Platform marks the end of manual registration.

According to him, the new digital platform will allow the country to record births, deaths, marriages and other vital events more securely and promptly. It is also expected to reduce duplication through unique identifiers and improve data sharing with health institutions, identity agencies and planning bodies.

Yusuf said digital registration services have already reached about 4,000 of the 8,809 wards across Nigeria, with plans for full nationwide coverage. The Commission has also set up more than 4,000 functional registration centres and aims to expand the number to around 8,000 to make the service easier to access, especially in rural areas.

UNICEF’s Chief of Child Protection in Nigeria, Natalie McCauley, described birth registration as a fundamental right that gives a child legal identity and access to healthcare, education and protection. She urged greater focus on integrating registration into health services and bringing the process closer to families so that no child is left behind.

Photo credit: Vanguard News