The present study classified epilepsies in Nigerians and compared them with the profile of epilepsies as found in other countries: India, France, and Denmark. Partial epilepsy formed the largest group (76.6%) in this study and in that in India (80%), but these incidences were higher than that found in France (62%), owing to a higher frequency of birth injury, CNS infections, and childhood febrile convulsions in developing countries. In contrast to our study and that in France, where partial epilepsy with complex symptomatology formed the largest subgroup, partial epilepsy with elementary symptomatology formed the largest subgroup in India. The reason for this is not totally clear, though etiological factors and criteria for categorization are contributory. The incidence of partial epilepsy was lower in children than in adults owing to a relatively lower incidence of partial epilepsy with elementary symptomatology in children in the present series and a lower incidence of complex symptomatology in children in France and Denmark. Nigerian children seem more vulnerable to complex symptomatology owing to a high incidence of febrile illness (e.g., from malaria) and febrile convulsions. The incidence of generalized epilepsies in children was higher than in adults. Grand mal formed the largest subgroup of generalized epilepsies in children in this series and in Denmark, whereas petit mal formed the largest subgroup in France and India. Petit mal was relatively rare in children in our series (2.5%) compared with children in the French study (17.5%). Secondary generalized epilepsy was peculiar to children in all the series.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)