Only 40% of Nigerian births registered— NPC

By Anan Geolengs

The National Population Commission, NPC, has raised the alarm that only 40 per cent of births in Nigeria are currently registered, leaving millions of children without legal identity.

NPC Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a media briefing to commemorate the 2026 Africa Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, CRVS, Day.

Yusuf said with more than five million children born in Nigeria annually, the low coverage made it urgent to take registration services closer to communities.

“According to the most recent Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, only about 40 per cent of births are registered, while death registration coverage remains unacceptably low,” he said.

The NPC boss said the Commission transitioned to a fully digital CRVS system on July 1, 2026 through the VitalReg platform, ending manual registration nationwide.

He said the digital system has improved security, efficiency and reliability, while reducing duplication through automated verification and unique identifiers.

“The system will enable government to generate vital statistics more quickly, providing reliable demographic data for national planning, resource allocation, infrastructure development and social protection programmes,” Yusuf added.

However, he noted that technology alone would not close the gap, and that decentralisation and partnerships were key.
Yusuf said NPC signed a Partnership Compact in January 2025 with ALGON, NIMC, UNICEF and Bankforte Technologies to decentralise registration and expand access.

The Commission is also working with NPHCDA, state governments and health institutions to integrate birth registration into routine health services.

“About 4,000 of the country’s 8,809 wards have already been reached with digital civil registration services under the compact,” he said. “We are working to extend coverage to all wards.”

The NPC currently has over 4,000 functional registration centres across the 774 LGAs and plans to expand to about 8,000 nationwide.

*CALL FOR SUPPORT*
Yusuf called on state and local governments, traditional and religious institutions, health facilities, CSOs and the private sector to support the reform.

“Civil registration is not merely a legal obligation but the foundation of legal identity, access to services, the protection of rights and national development,” he said.

UNICEF Chief Child Protection Officer, Natalie McCauly, also urged stronger integration and decentralisation of the system, saying birth registration is a fundamental right.

“UNICEF said digital birth registration services are now available in more than 4,000 wards, but many children remain at risk of growing up without proof of legal identity.”

NPC Deputy Director, Civil Registration, Obodo Adaku, said the Commission was leveraging health facilities and community structures. She added that nurses at immunisation points are now expected to check for birth certificates and facilitate registration.

Adaku also disclosed plans for a community birth alert system to capture births that occur outside health facilities.

The 2026 Africa CRVS Day is themed: “New CRVS Decade (2026–2036): Consolidating the Gains of APAI-CRVS and Securing the Future of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Africa through Integration, Decentralization and Digitalization.”