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Nigeria’s baby-cost crisis is thrown into sharper relief by the ₦70,000 national minimum wage, which gives a minimum-wage worker an annual gross income of ₦840,000, yet Remitly’s study says formula alone costs the equivalent of 131.1 percent of the average Nigerian annual wage.
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The figures mean a Nigerian worker earning the minimum wage would need to devote more than a full year’s salary to the study’s estimated formula requirement if the average-wage comparison were applied directly, while nappies, wipes and rash cream consume another 123.6 percent and baby clothing 113.7 percent of average annual earnings.
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For parents in Port Harcourt and other Nigerian cities, the pressure is visible in everyday retail prices, with current Port Harcourt listings showing disposable and reusable nappies at widely varying prices, while a Port Harcourt children’s retailer says the high price of quality children’s products was part of the reason its founder established the business.
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The problem is not simply the price of one product but the accumulation of costs, as Remitly puts the full first-year basket at about $3,500, covering feeding, changing, sleeping, clothing and transport — a burden that comes before the ordinary costs of housing, food, healthcare, transport and education.
September 10, (THEWILL) – President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage legislation into law in July 2024, raising the statutory minimum from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000. The increase was negotiated against a backdrop of rising living costs and declining purchasing power.
But the new global baby-cost comparison by Remitly suggests that even that increased wage floor remains severely stretched when measured against the cost of providing basic necessities for a newborn.
According to the study, one year of baby formula in Nigeria costs about $1,040, representing 131.1 per cent of the average annual wage.
That percentage is the statistic that best captures the scale of the problem. Put simply, the estimated formula bill is not merely consuming a large part of annual earnings; it is larger than the average worker’s entire annual income.
The same pattern is repeated in other basic categories. Remitly estimates that nappies, wipes and rash cream cost an amount equivalent to 123.6 percent of the average annual Nigerian wage. Baby clothing costs about $899, representing 113.7 percent of average annual earnings.
In each of those three categories, therefore, the estimated cost exceeds one year’s average wage.
The figures become particularly stark when viewed against the ₦70,000 minimum wage.
A worker on the statutory minimum earns ₦840,000 over 12 months. That is the entire gross income available before rent, food, electricity, transportation, healthcare, school expenses, debt repayments and other household obligations.
For such households, the arrival of a baby creates another layer of expenditure that cannot easily be postponed.
Port Harcourt Parents Feel The Pressure
The situation is not an abstract national statistic for families in Port Harcourt.
Current Port Harcourt listings show baby-care products being sold at markedly different prices depending on the type and brand. One Port Harcourt listing advertises washable reusable diapers for ₦450 each, while another offers a dozen for ₦4,800. Other baby-related products listed in the city run into tens of thousands of naira.
A Port Harcourt-based children’s retailer, NimiKiddies, also describes the high cost of quality children’s products as a problem its founder encountered personally.
According to the retailer’s account, its founder, a mother of three, wanted quality products for her children but found that “the prices were dauntingly expensive”, a frustration that contributed to the establishment of the business.
That experience illustrates a wider problem: parents are often forced to choose between quality, quantity and affordability.
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For disposable nappies, the difference between cheaper and premium brands can be substantial, while reusable alternatives offer some families a way of reducing recurring expenditure.
The Port Harcourt market also reflects the broader pressure on Nigerian parents to find cheaper alternatives. One current local listing specifically markets reusable nappies as a way to help parents save money, offering individual pieces for ₦450 and a dozen for ₦4,800.
A Nigerian mother identified simply as Ngozi described having to choose between feeding herself and meeting her baby’s immediate needs.
“Baby formula is ₦15,000. If I buy baby food for that amount and Pampers ₦2,500 the money finished”, she said, adding that after those purchases, she was left with only ₦100 and sometimes waited until noon before eating breakfast.
The Wage Comparison
The Remitly study examined more than 90 countries and compared 14 baby essentials across six categories.
Nigeria ranked last for formula affordability among the 74 countries assessed, with the annual formula requirement equivalent to 131.1 percent of average annual wages.
While Bangladesh followed at 115.8 percent, Nigeria also ranked last for baby-changing essentials, with nappies, wipes and rash cream consuming 123.6 percent of average annual wages. For clothing, Nigeria again ranked last at 113.7 percent.
Travel essentials — an infant car seat and stroller cost about $311, equivalent to 39.3 percent of the average annual wage. The overall basket was estimated at approximately $3,500.
That figure covers the study’s selected baby essentials, rather than the total cost of raising a child. It does not therefore represent the cost of antenatal care, delivery, postnatal treatment, vaccinations, childcare, housing, food for the parents, transport or other household expenses.
This distinction is important because the $3,500 figure can otherwise be mistaken for the complete cost of a child’s first year.
Nigeria Versus The World
The international comparison exposes just how sharply affordability differs between countries.
Belgium ranked first in overall affordability, with its basket of baby essentials accounting for just 5.4 percent of average wages.
Luxembourg followed at 5.9 percent, Denmark at 6.7 percent and the United States at 6.8 percent. The United Kingdom ranked sixth at 7.5 percent.
At the other end of the scale, Nigeria’s individual category burdens were above 100 per cent of average annual earnings.
The contrast is even greater in baby clothing, where the corresponding cost in the United States was only 0.7 percent of average wages, compared with Nigeria’s 113.7 percent.
For travel essentials, Switzerland recorded a burden of just 0.2 percent, compared with Nigeria’s 39.3 percent.
Remitly said it collected prices manually from local baby stores, supermarkets and online pharmacies, selecting affordable rather than premium products.
The researchers then converted local prices into US dollars using exchange rates on June 18, 2026, and compared them with average wage data from the International Labour Organisation.
The company cautioned that its estimated quantities were based on United States norms and could vary according to local customs, individual needs and parenting choices.
Nevertheless, the central message remains striking. Nigeria is not necessarily the country where every baby item has the highest dollar price. It is the country where the price of basic baby necessities bears an exceptionally heavy relationship to what people earn.
For a Nigerian family living around the ₦70,000 monthly minimum-wage benchmark, that distinction matters enormously.
A family can buy a cheaper nappy, reuse clothing, accept hand-me-downs or seek discounts. But formula, hygiene products and basic clothing remain recurring needs for many families.
And when a study finds that formula alone represents 131.1 percent of average annual earnings, it means the affordability problem begins before the family has even paid for many of the other necessities that accompany raising a child.
For Nigerian parents, therefore, the issue is not simply how expensive a baby is to raise. It is whether their wages can keep pace with the cost of keeping the child fed, clean, clothed and safe.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
