Nearly one in four paternity tests conducted by Smart DNA Nigeria returned negative results during the 2025/2026 reporting period, according to the company’s latest annual DNA Testing Report.
Smart DNA Nigeria, in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, August 24, 2026, revealed that 23.6 per cent of the paternity tests recorded during the period were negative, meaning the tested man was not the biological father of the child.
The figure represents a slight decline from 24.0 per cent recorded in the previous reporting period and 26.1 per cent in 2023.
However, the company cautioned against interpreting the statistics to mean that one in every four Nigerian children is not biologically related to the man regarded as their father.
According to the report, people who undergo DNA testing are often individuals who already have doubts or specific reasons for seeking confirmation of biological relationships. Therefore, the results do not represent the general Nigerian population.
The report further showed that 87 per cent of the DNA tests conducted were “Peace of Mind” tests. These are private, self-initiated tests carried out outside court cases, immigration processes or other legal proceedings.
The proportion of such tests increased from 83.7 per cent in the previous reporting period, suggesting that personal concerns and the desire for certainty remain the major reasons Nigerians seek DNA testing.
Immigration-related tests accounted for 9.7 per cent of the cases, while legal tests represented 1.9 per cent. Avuncular tests accounted for one per cent, while prenatal testing made up 0.4 per cent of recorded cases.
The report also revealed that older men made up the majority of male clients seeking DNA tests. Men aged 41 and above accounted for 48 per cent of age-classified male records.
Those between the ages of 31 and 40 represented another 35.8 per cent. Combined, men aged above 30 accounted for 83.8 per cent of the male testing population.
Geographically, Lagos dominated DNA testing activity, accounting for 75.1 per cent of all classified cases, up from 69 per cent in the previous reporting period.
Outside Lagos, Ogun State recorded the highest number of tests, followed by Delta, Oyo, Rivers, Enugu, Edo, Abuja, Imo and Kwara.
Smart DNA said the findings provide insight into the growing demand for DNA testing in Nigeria and the factors driving individuals to seek biological certainty.
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