Chad and Nigeria had the lowest life expectancies in Africa as of 2023

The African countries with the highest life expectancies as of 2023 are: Algeria - 77 years, Tunisia - 77 years, Cape Verde - 77 years, Mauritius - 76 years.

The African countries with the lowest life expectancies: Central African Republic - 55 years, Lesotho - 55 years, Nigeria - 54 years, Chad - 54 years.

Source:

UNICEF

Period:

2023
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While Africa's total fertility rate remains the highest in 2025 (3.95), every other continent is below 2.2
  • Africa’s fertility rate in 2025 is estimated at 3.95, the highest in the world.
  • Europe’s fertility rate is the lowest in 2025 at just 1.41 children per woman.
  • Latin America and the Caribbean saw a steep drop from 5.83 in 1955 to 1.78 in 2025.
  • Asia’s fertility rate fell from 5.85 in 1955 to 1.87 in 2025.
  • Oceania’s fertility rate dropped from 6.58 in 1955 to 2.13 in 2025.
  • By 2025, all continents except Africa are at or below the replacement rate of 2.1.
Nigeria had the highest number of malnourished people in Africa in 2023, with 45.4 million
  • In Africa, 275 million people were recorded to be malnourished in 2023.
  • Nigeria led the list of countries in Africa with the highest number of malnourished people (45.40 million), making 16.5% of the total.
  • Nigeria was followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 40.7 million, 14.8% of the total.
  • Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Kenya made up almost 50% of the total number of malnourished people in Africa.
793 Million people in India could not afford a healthy diet in 2022, representing 28% of the global total
  • India tops the list of the global number of people unable to afford a decent meal with a value of 792.80 million causing unaffordability to prevail in the country by 55.6%.
  • China emerged as the second country in this global list with 208.10 million people falling in this category and unaffordability prevalence of 14.6%.
  • Nigeria claimed 6.2% of the global total with 175.6M, making it the 3rd country with the highest number of healthy diet unaffordability.
  • High number of people that could not afford a healthy diet does not outrightly equal high percentage of healthy diet unaffordability.
Western Pacific region is projected to top global nurse count with 9.7M by 2030
  • The Western Pacific Region is projected to lead globally in nursing personnel by 2030, with an estimated 9.7 million nurses — more than Africa and Southeast Asia combined.
  • The Americas (8.9M) and Europe (8.2M) are expected to follow, maintaining high nurse-to-population ratios.
  • Africa (2.1M) and the Eastern Mediterranean (1.5M) are projected to remain lowest, despite growing health needs.
  • South-East Asia (5.5M) shows steady growth but still lags behind the top three regions.
  • The global nursing workforce is projected to reach 35.9 million by 2030, up 73% from 2013 — but growth remains uneven.
Only 4 African countries meet WHO’s recommended nurse-to-population ratio
  • Only four African countries, Seychelles, South Africa, Namibia, and Ghana, meet or exceed the WHO’s recommended minimum of 44.5 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people.
  • Seychelles leads the continent with 73 personnel per 10,000, followed by South Africa (64), Namibia (54), and Ghana (45).
  • The lowest number within the top 20 is 16, shared by Nigeria, Comoros, and Mauritania.
  • The dataset includes 47 African countries, and no country outside the top 20 has more than 16 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people.
Of the 138 million children (5-17 years) in child labour globally, nearly 70% are in Africa
  • In 2024, nearly 138 million children globally are still involved in child labour.
  • Africa accounts for 94.5 million (68.7%) of these children — the largest regional share.
  • Four in 5 child labourers under age 12 are based in Africa.
  • The global goal to end child labour by 2025 was not achieved.
  • Child labour has fallen by over 100 million since 2000, despite global child population growth.
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