The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, says there has been an upward trend in the life expectancy of both males and females from 2020 to 2022.
This is according to the NBS Statistical Report on Women and Men in Nigeria 2022 released in Abuja on Wednesday.
The NBS said the statistical report analysed the status of women and men across Nigeria from 2020 to 2022 using statistics from agencies at the Federal and state levels.
The report covered six key economic policy domains: Population, Health, Education, Employment, Power and Decision-Making in Governance, and Violence Against Women and Crime.
The report said the life expectancy of females in 2020 was 56.6 years, it increased to 56.9 years in 2021 and 57.2 years in 2022.
It said the life expectancy for males in 2022 was 54.6 years, it increased to 54.8 years in 2021, and 55.1 in 2022.
The NBS said according to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS/National Immunisation Coverage Survey, NICS, report, Nigeria recorded 75 live births per 1,000 women among adolescents.
“Under-five mortality rate stood at 102 per 1,000 live births, the adolescent fertility rate was 75 live births per 1,000 women and the crude birth rate was 31.7 live births per 1,000 women.”
“In addition, the neonatal mortality rate in Nigeria was 34 per 1,000 live births, while the infant mortality rate stood at 63 per 1,000 live births.”
Also, the 2021 MICS/NICS report showed that the percentage of pregnant women who attended antenatal care and were seen at least once by skilled health personnel was 69.60 per cent.
The report said the percentage of females aged 15 to 49 with knowledge of HIV in 2022 was 74.01 per cent and 70.70 per cent for males.
“The percentage of females with access to anti-retroviral treatment was 66.46 per cent in 2020, which decreased to 64.99 per cent in 2021, and 64.00 per cent in 2022.”
The report showed that there were more male medical doctors compared to female doctors in Nigeria.
“The percentage of female doctors in 2020 was 36.03 per cent, which increased to 37.16 per cent in 2021 and declined to 35.42 per cent in 2022.
The report said that the percentage of female dentists in Nigeria was below 50 per cent across the period under review.
It said since independence, no woman has been appointed as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The report also showed there were more male judges in the Federal Courts in 2020, 2021, and 2022 with 168, 184, and 191 compared to the female judges with 79, 92, and 92, respectively.
The NBS said 67.31 per cent of females and 77.35 per cent of males were employed in Q4 of 2022 in Nigeria.
The report said the underemployment rate of females in Q4 2022 stood at 16.70 per cent, compared to males at 11.00 per cent.
It said the percentage of unemployed females in Q4 2022 stood at 6.60 per cent, while the percentage of unemployed males was 4.00 per cent.
The report said according to the National Directorate of Employment data, the percentage of females who benefited from the Enterprise Development Programme was 59.81 per cent in 2020.
“It declined to 11.14 per cent in 2021 and increased to 55.00 per cent in 2022.”
The report said females were the highest beneficiaries in the National Open Apprenticeship Scheme, NOAS, in 2020, 2021, and 2022 with 54.94 per cent, 57.86 per cent, and 61.93 per cent, respectively.
NAN
