Bite-sized Insights about
 
Providing you with data-based insights about things happening around you.
The largest share of NHIA funds in 2024, approximately 30%, was allocated to the North-Western states of Nigeria
Key takeaways:
  • Kano State received the highest individual allocation, totalling ₦1.43 billion, which accounts for 6% of the overall disbursement.
  • The North-West region received the largest regional share, with ₦7.16 billion of the total NHIA Gateway Fund.
  • The South-West received the smallest regional allocation, amounting to nearly 10% of the total.
  • The top ten recipient states collectively received ₦10.07 billion, representing 42.1% of the entire fund.
  • The Southern regions collectively received 42% of total disbursement.
  • The total NHIA Gateway Fund disbursed in 2024 amounted to ₦23.92 billion.

Approximately 60% of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) in 2024 was allocated to the northern states
Key takeaways:
  • Kano State received the highest allocation, totalling ₦2.67 billion, which accounts for 5.9% of the entire fund.
  • Nine out of the top ten recipient states are located in Northern Nigeria.
  • Enugu is the sole Southern state to appear among the top ten beneficiaries.
  • The top ten states collectively received ₦16.94 billion, representing 37.3% of the total fund disbursed.
  • In total, ₦45.43 billion was disbursed to all 36 states and the FCT in 2024.

Nigeria has led global maternal mortality since 2021, with 993 deaths per 100,000 in 2023
  • Nigeria’s MMR dropped by just 13% in 23 years — from 1,136 to 993
  • The country never left the global top 10 between 2000 and 2023
  • Nigeria became number one by 2021 and still leads
  • Sierra Leone dropped by 78%, from 1,603 to 354
  • South Sudan dropped by 58%, despite conflict
  • Africa dominated the list, with nearly all top 10 countries coming from the region
  • Nigeria accounted for 29% of global maternal deaths in 2023

About 11M lives have been saved in Africa through tuberculosis treatment, which made up 23% of the total lives saved globally
  • Africa not only had high tuberculosis treatment success for people without HIV (5.9M lives saved), but also for 5.1M people with HIV.
  • With over 19 million people without HIV and 910,000 with HIV treated, South-East Asia leads in numbers.
  • TB treatment saved 10 million lives in the Western Pacific region.
  • Globally, 41 million out of 47.8 million lives saved were of people without HIV, showing that TB remains a major health threat even outside HIV-affected populations.
  • With just 1.2M lives saved each, both Europe and the Americas had relatively low numbers.

Seven states accounted for 96.6% of the suspected diphtheria cases reported in Nigeria between 2022 and 2025
  • With 24,062 cases, Kano accounts for the highest number of suspected diphtheria cases, making up a significant portion of the total outbreak in Nigeria.
  • Yobe recorded 5,330 cases, while Katsina had 3,939 cases, reinforcing the concentration of diphtheria in northern states.
  • Bauchi and Borno report similar case counts, with 3,066 and 3,035 cases, respectively.
  • Kaduna (777 cases) and Jigawa (364 cases) report fewer cases but remain part of the seven states contributing to 96.6% of the outbreak.
  • Other states combined report 1,405 cases, showing that diphtheria is largely a regional issue.
  • Northern states dominate the case count, signaling potential regional healthcare and vaccination disparities.

Top countries with the lowest and highest life expectancy in 2024
Key takeaways:
  • African countries have the lowest life expectancy.
  • Most of the countries with the highest life expectancy are in Europe and Asia
  • The countries with the highest life expectancy are mostly developed nations.
  • Thirteen countries were observed to have a life expectancy above 84 years, while 11 countries have a life expectancy below 61 years.

There are only 687 dentists in the Northern part of Nigeria in 2022
  • There are 3,112 dentists in Nigeria as of 2022, highlighting the limited availability of dental professionals in a population of over 200 million.
  • The Southwest geopolitical zone has the highest number of dentists, totaling 1,176 (37.8%), indicating a concentration of dental services in this region.
  • Collectively, the North (Northwest, North Central, and Northeast) has only 687 dentists, which is approximately 22% of the total, showcasing significant regional disparities in healthcare access.
  • The Southeast zone has the fewest dentists, with only 141 (4.5%), underlining a shortage of dental professionals in this region.
  • The concentration of dentists in zones like the Southwest likely reflects urbanization trends, leaving rural areas in other regions underserved.

Treatment of birth asphyxia in Nigeria varies significantly across zones
Birth asphyxia is a condition where a baby does not receive sufficient oxygen before, during, and after birth. It is a leading cause of early neonatal mortality and was selected as an indicator in the assessment of the management of maternal and neonatal complications in Nigeria. The percentage of health facilities surveyed that provide appropriate treatment for birth asphyxia varies from as low as 19.4% in the North West to as high as 50.3% in the South-South. With no zone exceeding 50%, significant gaps remain in reducing infant mortality in Nigeria.

The North East leads the country in the provision of accurate PPH treatment
Management of maternal and neonatal health complications is crucial to reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in Nigeria. In a newly released National Health Facility Report 2023 by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, competence in managing postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) varies across zones and states. PPH is a situation where a woman experiences heavy bleeding after giving birth and is the leading cause of maternal mortality. Across the health facilities surveyed, the North East has the highest percentage of facilities providing appropriate treatment for PPH at 50.2%, which reflects the generally low provision of the needed care for PPH across the country.

Five of Nigeria's six North Eastern states rank among the bottom ten states in terms of the number of doctors
The distribution of doctors across Nigeria shows disparities, with regional inequities in healthcare professionals. The North East, with only 2,420 doctors, has the lowest number of doctors among all geopolitical zones. This is less than half of the North West's total and significantly lags behind the South West, which leads with 13,624 doctors. The gender gap is also evident, as there are more male doctors across all regions. Lagos State stands out with 7,385 doctors, far surpassing the next in line, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Meanwhile, five of the six states in the North East rank among the bottom ten states. N.B. Unspecified bar represents doctors with unverifiable location identities.

1 2 3

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Please fill the form below
Contact Form Demo
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form

A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved