Strategic investment in family planning could unlock trillions in economic growth, reduce maternal deaths, and improve the nation’s development prospects — yet critical funding cuts threaten this potential.
Nigeria’s future economic stability may rest on an often-overlooked foundation: family planning. While traditionally framed within the context of sexual and reproductive health rights, the long-term economic case for family planning is now impossible to ignore. Recent data and projections underscore that it is not just a health intervention, but a crucial economic development strategy with the potential to save lives, reduce poverty, and catalyze national growth.
According to the 2025 State of the World Population Report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), every $1 invested in family planning can generate up to $103.7 in economic returns. In contrast, failure to invest has left Nigeria grappling with one of the highest fertility rates in the world — 4.8 births per woman — and severe regional disparities, with rates as high as 7.1 births per woman in some areas.
This widening gap between desired and actual fertility rates is fueled by limited access to modern contraceptives, cultural and socio-economic barriers, and a lack of sustained political will. With a modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) of just 15%, and some states as low as 2%, millions of Nigerian women face unintended pregnancies that carry high personal and public costs.
The consequences are staggering. Unintended pregnancies strain public health systems, contribute to Nigeria’s alarming maternal mortality rate — the highest in the world — and derail the education and economic prospects of countless women. Each year, 1 million girls leave school due to pregnancy, weakening the workforce and slowing national progress.
Healthcare costs are also spiraling. Nigeria spends an estimated ₦112 billion annually on maternal and neonatal care linked to unintended births. This is money that could otherwise electrify every Primary Health Centre in the country.
Meanwhile, the country’s population is growing at 3.2% annually, far outpacing economic growth and deepening poverty and inequality. UNFPA and World Bank projections suggest that achieving a 27% mCPR by 2030 could unlock ₦3.3 trillion in demographic dividends, significantly boosting GDP per capita.
In response to this growing crisis, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW) has outlined an Investment Case for family planning with three scenarios: baseline, moderate, and aggressive. Under the moderate scenario, a 1% allocation from federal and state budgets could yield $1.1 billion in returns. Under the aggressive scenario, the return on investment (ROI) jumps to $2.96 billion, while reducing unmet needs by 75% and preventing millions of unintended pregnancies.
Achieving just the moderate target of 27% mCPR by 2030 could avert 7.6 million unintended pregnancies, 4.5 million unsafe abortions, and save over 90,000 mothers’ lives.
Despite these compelling numbers, Nigeria has slashed its 2025 national family planning budget by 97% compared to 2024, a move that experts warn could derail national and international goals, including the FP2030 commitment and the UNFPA’s vision to eliminate unmet needs for contraception.
Experts and advocates are calling for urgent and strategic reinvestment in family planning, not just as a health imperative but as a cornerstone of economic transformation. This includes:
Establishing dedicated family planning budget lines at all government levels with legally mandated minimum allocations.
Reducing dependence on donors and scaling successful domestic financing models, like those championed by The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in 22 states.
Integrating family planning into national development frameworks, promoting public-private partnerships, and strengthening coordination mechanisms.
Family planning, when prioritized, empowers women, enhances workforce productivity, reduces healthcare costs, and sets the stage for sustainable development. Nigeria cannot afford to sideline this vital tool.
The time to act is now, before the economic and human costs of inaction become irreversible.
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