Nigeria DNA Testing ReportJuly 2025 – June 2026

This report is based on our internal records for relationship DNA testing activity from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. It covers paternity and other relationship-testing categories in our dataset, including Peace of Mind, immigration, legal, prenatal, and avuncular tests.

Different sections of this report use different denominators because one DNA test case may involve more than one child or produce more than one relationship outcome, while some records may not contain every demographic or geographic field. Percentages in each section are therefore calculated using the valid records available for that specific measure. This distinction is important — treating every table as if it had the same denominator would create misleading conclusions.

Among Lagos cases with a specific Mainland or Island classification, Mainland Lagos accounted for 61.6% and Island areas for 38.4%. The Mainland share increased by 2.2 percentage points from the preceding period (59.4% in 2024/25), consistent with the higher population density on the Mainland.

Outside Lagos, Ogun recorded the highest share of cases, followed by Delta and Oyo. Rivers, Enugu, Edo, Abuja, Imo, and Kwara also recorded meaningful activity. This distribution reflects growing DNA testing awareness across the South-West and South-South geopolitical zones.

Lekki was by far our leading specifically named Lagos location, followed by Ajah, Ikorodu, Yaba, Ikeja, Festac, and Surulere. A sizeable number of Lagos records were coded only as “unspecified” or by broad labels such as “Lagos Mainland,” so the location ranking reflects named locations rather than a complete neighbourhood census.

Older men continued to dominate our age-classified male records. Men aged 41 and above represented 48.0% of all age-classified male records — up from 45.5% in the preceding period. Men aged 31–40 accounted for 35.8%. Together, men aged 31 and above represented 83.8% of age-classified male records. Men aged 21–30 accounted for 16.0%, while those under 20 represented a negligible 0.3%.

The continued dominance of older men is consistent with financial capability enabling testing, as well as the possibility that doubts about paternity accumulate over time before a man decides to test.

Boys accounted for 56.7% of children tested, while girls accounted for 43.3%. The male share increased from 53.8% in our previous annual report. The data shows a persistent skew toward testing boys — possible explanations include family-specific concerns, inheritance expectations, or other social factors, though these were not directly measured and should be treated as hypotheses.

Children aged 0–5 represented 59.5% of all age-classified tested individuals — similar to 58.6% in the preceding year. A further 20.6% were aged 6–12. Teenagers aged 13–18 accounted for 12.4%, while those aged 18 and above represented 7.6%. The concentration among younger children may indicate that many families seek clarity early, though our dataset does not record the precise reason for the timing of each test.

Among negative firstborn outcomes, boys accounted for 56.1% and girls 43.9%. This gap narrowed markedly from the preceding period, when boys represented approximately 64.4% of recorded negative firstborn outcomes. This finding shows the sex composition of negative firstborn outcomes — it does not show the negative rate by sex, as our dataset does not provide the full denominators required for such a claim. The narrowing gap underlines why our annual data should be interpreted as an evolving trend rather than a fixed social rule.

79.8% of cases with a recorded number of children concerned a single child — down slightly from 82.5% in the preceding period, suggesting that multi-child testing became somewhat more common. Cases involving two children accounted for 14.6%, while cases involving more than two children represented 5.6%.

Peace of Mind testing remained overwhelmingly dominant in our records. 87.0% of classified test cases were Peace of Mind tests — up from 83.7% in the preceding period. Immigration tests accounted for 9.7% of classified cases. Legal tests represented 1.9%. Avuncular tests accounted for 1.0%, while prenatal testing accounted for 0.4%.

Peace of Mind testing grew substantially and increased its share from 83.7% to 87.0%. Immigration testing also increased in volume, but its share of the larger overall testing pool fell from 13.1% to 9.7% — reflecting how strongly Peace of Mind testing grew relative to all other categories. Legal tests doubled, though they remain a small proportion of our overall activity.

Our recorded relationship-test outcomes during the year translated to 76.0% positive, 23.6% negative, and 0.5% inconclusive. The total number of outcomes exceeded classified test cases because cases involving more than one child or relationship can produce more than one result.

Excluding inconclusive results, the negative share stands at 23.7% — effectively unchanged from 24.0% in the preceding period.

Because 23.6% is close to one-quarter, we can reasonably summarise this for public communication as “about one in four of our recorded outcomes were negative.” However, this should not be converted into a claim that one in four Nigerian children is not biologically related to the man believed to be the father.

The distinction is fundamental. Our clients are not randomly selected Nigerians. They include people who have actively chosen to establish a biological relationship, often because a question already exists. The observed negative rate is therefore a characteristic of our testing population — not an estimate of national misattributed paternity.

Another important observation is that the negative share remained almost flat even as our volume of testing grew. This suggests that the growth in testing did not produce a corresponding increase in the proportion of negative results within our records.

Our enquiry data shows that men remain much more likely to make the first contact about DNA testing. Men represented 78.6% of recorded first contacts, women 15.2%, and those coded as unsure 6.2%. The male share increased from approximately 74.9% in the preceding reporting period. It does not mean women are absent from the testing process — a first-contact measure records only who initiated the enquiry, not every participant involved in the eventual test.

Among records with an ethnicity category, Yoruba clients formed the largest group at 52.6%, followed by Igbo clients at 29.1%. Other ethnic groups collectively accounted for 6.2%, Edo 5.8%, the grouped Delta/Ijaw/Isoko/Urhobo/Itsekiri category 5.4%, and Hausa 1.0%.

These figures should not be interpreted as showing ethnic differences in paternity behaviour. Our strongest geographic concentration is in Lagos and the South-West, so the ethnic distribution is heavily influenced by where we operate and where awareness of our services is strongest. A notable year-on-year movement is the increase in the Igbo share from 26.1% to 29.1%, while the Yoruba share moved slightly down from 53.7% to 52.6%.

Our July 2025–June 2026 data shows a DNA testing market that is growing rapidly while many of its underlying patterns remain stable. Our recorded testing activity increased year on year, yet the share of negative outcomes remained at roughly one in four. Peace of Mind testing continued to dominate our caseload, Lagos remained the centre of our activity, men were overwhelmingly the first people to make enquiries, and young children remained the group most frequently tested.

This report also demonstrates why careful interpretation matters. DNA testing statistics sit at the intersection of science, family life, trust, culture, migration, and law. A laboratory result can provide a highly reliable answer to a biological question, but aggregate testing data cannot, on its own, explain the motives or circumstances behind every family that seeks a test.