Nigeria recorded significant improvements in maternal health services, family planning uptake, and antenatal care utilisation in 2025, according to the 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report released on Sunday.
Produced under the National Health Act 2014, the report highlighted progress in maternal indicators while noting persistent challenges in postnatal care, cancer screening, and access to skilled birth attendants.
Family planning services expanded steadily, with around 80,000 women adopting modern contraceptives each quarter, representing a 45 per cent increase nationwide. Modern contraceptive prevalence among married women reached 15 per cent, with 49.6 per cent having their family planning needs met by modern methods, up from 42 per cent in 2018.
Antenatal care attendance also improved, with first visits exceeding 1.8 million and women completing the recommended four visits rising from 760,000 in early 2024 to over one million in 2025. Yet, about 60 per cent of pregnant women still began care after 20 weeks of gestation, indicating ongoing delays in service access.
Deliveries attended by skilled birth personnel increased sharply, from 640,000 in 2024 to 900,000 in 2025, although seven per cent of facility births still lacked qualified attendants. Maternal deaths in health facilities declined roughly 25 per cent, from 161 in the first quarter to 108 in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Postnatal care remained limited, with only 43 per cent of women receiving checks within two days after delivery, a marginal improvement from 42 per cent in 2018. The report also highlighted broader health risks for women, including anaemia affecting 47 per cent, low cancer screening rates, gaps in hepatitis awareness, and rising concerns over overweight and obesity, with about 30 per cent affected.
The report underscores the dual reality of measurable progress alongside critical gaps in maternal and women’s health nationwide.