23.6% Men Not Biological Fathers of Their Children According to Nigerian Study

23.6% Men Not Biological Fathers of Their Children According to Nigerian Study–  About 23.6 percent of paternity tests conducted by Smart DNA Nigeria returned negative results during the company’s 2025/2026 reporting period, according to its latest annual DNA Testing Report.

The figure means that in nearly one out of every four paternity tests conducted, the man tested was not the biological father of the child.

However, Smart DNA cautioned against interpreting the statistic as evidence that one in four Nigerian children is not biologically related to the man regarded as their father.

The company said its clients were individuals who had already developed doubts or had specific reasons for seeking DNA testing, meaning the results did not represent a random sample of Nigerian families.

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The 23.6 percent negative result was a slight decline from 24.0 percent recorded in the previous reporting period and 26.1 percent in 2023.

The report showed that 87 percent of the tests conducted were “Peace of Mind tests”, which are private, self-initiated tests conducted outside legal, immigration or court proceedings.

Immigration-related tests accounted for 9.7 percent, while legal tests constituted 1.9 percent. Avuncular tests accounted for one percent and prenatal testing represented 0.4 percent.

The report also found that men aged 41 and above accounted for 48 percent of age-classified male clients seeking DNA tests.

Those aged between 31 and 40 represented another 35.8 percent, meaning men aged above 30 accounted for 83.8 percent of the male testing population.

Children aged five and below accounted for 59.5 percent of tested individuals, a figure that remained almost unchanged from the previous reporting period.

Smart DNA said the high proportion of young children among those tested could suggest that families were seeking to resolve questions surrounding biological relationships at an early stage, although the data could not establish the reasons behind the trend.

Lagos accounted for 75.1 percent of all classified cases, up from 69 percent during the preceding reporting period.

Lekki recorded the highest number of named locations in Lagos, followed by Ajah, Ikorodu, Yaba and Ikeja.

Lagos Mainland accounted for 61.6 percent of cases with specific location classifications within the state.

Outside Lagos, Ogun recorded the highest testing activity, followed by Delta, Oyo, Rivers, Enugu, Edo, Abuja, Imo and Kwara.

The company said testing activity outside Lagos had increased, suggesting that awareness and demand for DNA testing were gradually spreading to other parts of Nigeria.

Men initiated 78.6 percent of first contacts with the company, compared with 15.2 percent by women.

The ethnic distribution of clients was led by Yoruba at 52.6 percent, followed by Igbo at 29.1 percent and Edo at 5.8 percent. A combined 5.4 percent comprised Delta, Ijaw, Isoko, Urhobo and Itsekiri groups, while Hausa clients accounted for one percent.

Smart DNA stressed that the figures reflected its own geographical and client base and should not be interpreted as evidence of differences in paternity behaviour among ethnic groups.

The company further warned that its findings could not be generalised to the Nigerian population because its clients were not randomly selected.

It said the 23.6 percent negative result applied specifically to its testing population, where doubts about biological relationships already existed, and therefore could not be used to estimate the prevalence of non-paternity across Nigeria.

Smart DNA also noted that while DNA testing can provide highly accurate answers about biological relationships, the results alone cannot explain the social, cultural, economic or relationship circumstances that lead families to seek testing.

The company urged the public to rely on evidence rather than rumours or sensational claims when discussing paternity testing and family relationships.