Demographics of Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa^[1][2][3][4] and the sixth in the world.^[5][6] It is also one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with approximately 218.5 million people^[7] in an area of 923,768 km² (356,669 sq mi).^[8][9]

54.3% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, with the annual rate of urbanisation being estimated at 3.92%.^[1][a] Nigeria is home to 371 ethnic groups speaking over 500 languages^[1] and the variety of customs and traditions among them gives the country great cultural diversity. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, who make up 25% of the population; the Yoruba, who make up 21%; and the Igbo, who make up 18%.^{[1][10][11][12]} The Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Annang, and Ogoni are other Southern populations. Meanwhile, the Tiv, Urhobo-Isoko, Edo and Itsekiri inhabit Nigerian's Midwest.^[13] Over 1.2 million people living in Nigeria (0.5% of its total population, or 1 in every 200 people living in Nigeria) are from a continent other than Africa. There are 100,000 people from the United States,^[14] 75,000 are from Lebanon,^[15] 60,000 are from China^[16] and 16,000 are from the United Kingdom.^[17]

Nigeria has a young population overall, with 42.54% of inhabitants between the ages of 0–14.^[1][18] There is also a very high dependency ratio at 88.2 dependants per 100 non-dependants.^[1] The three main religious groups are Muslims (estimated to be 53.5% of the total population), Christians (estimated at 45.9%), and adherents of indigenous religions (estimated at 0.6%).^[19] The predominantly Christian Igbo are found in the southeast.^[20] Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in Igboland,^[21][22][23] but Anglicanism is also strong, as are Pentecostalism and other Evangelical denominations.

Persons of different ethnic backgrounds most commonly communicate in English, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are the most widely used Nigerian languages. Nigerian Pidgin is used widely as an unofficial medium of communication, especially in the Nigerian cities of Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, Benin and Port Harcourt.^[24]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1000	11,000,000	—
1500	18,920,000	+0.11%
1900	30,403,305	+0.12%
1952	88,992,220	+2.09%
1963	140,431,790	+4.23%
1991	162,805,000	+0.53%
2006	211,401,000	+1.76%
2011	238,541,212	+2.45%
2016	257,541,212	+1.54%
2021	269,401,000	+0.90%
2022	270,541,212	+0.42%

Nigeria's population has been increasing rapidly for at least the last 5 decades due to very high birth rates, quadrupling its population during this time. Growth was fastest in the 1980s, after child mortality dropped rapidly. It has slowed slightly since then as both the birth rate and total fertility, rate have declined marginally since a 1978 peak. According to the 2017 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 257,541,212 in 2016, compared to only 88,992,220 in 1950. The proportion of children under the age of 15 in 2010 was 44.0%, 53.2% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.7% were 65 years or older. There is a large degree of population momentum, with 3.2 per cent growth leading to the projected population of 546 million by 2100.^[25]

The federal government has not elected to implement the type of controversial family planning programs that have reduced population growth of other developing nations, a result of low political support for these programs and a cultural preference for large families as well as high levels of social instability. Rising educational levels and health care improvements may enable future parents to plan for smaller families.^[19]

The former Nigeria's chairman of National Population Commission, Eze Duruiheoma, delivering Nigeria's statement in New York City on sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration in the 51st session of Commission on Population and Development, said that "Nigeria remains the most populous in Africa, the seventh globally with an estimated population of over 198 million. The World Population Prospects predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world. Over the last 50 years, Nigeria's urban population has grown at an average annual growth rate of more than 6.5% without commensurate increases in social amenities and infrastructure." He also stated that the population "grew substantially from 17.3% in 1967 to 49.4% in 2017."^[26]

	Total population	Population aged 0–14 (%)	Population aged 15–64 (%)	Population aged 65+ (%)
1950	88,992,220	41.7	55.3	3.0
1955	111,122,000	41.6	55.6	2.8
1960	138,936,530	41.6	55.6	2.8
1965	142,361,750	41.9	55.2	2.9
1970	148,528,214	42.6	54.6	2.8
1975	152,890,108	43.4	53.8	2.8
1980	155,698,000	44.0	53.2	2.8
1985	158,473,000	45.0	52.2	2.8
1990	161,907,000	44.9	52.3	2.9
1995	176,425,000	44.1	53.0	2.9
2000	187,606,000	43.5	53.7	2.8
2005	200,713,000	43.6	53.7	2.7
2010	230,322,312	44.0	53.2	2.7

Population by sex and age group (Census 21.III.2006)^[27]

Age	Population	Percent
Total	140,431,790	100
0–4	22,594,967	16.09
5–9	20,005,380	14.25
10–14	16,135,950	11.49
15–19	14,899,419	10.61
20–24	13,435,079	9.57
25–29	12,211,426	8.70
30–34	9,467,538	6.74
35–39	7,331,755	5.22
40–44	6,456,470	4.60
45–49	4,591,293	3.27
50–54	4,249,219	3.03
55–59	2,066,247	1.47
60–64	2,450,286	1.74
65–69	1,151,048	0.82
70–74	1,264,937	0.95
75–79	579,838	0.41
80–84	760,053	0.54
85+	715,225	0.51

Age group	Total	Male	Female	%
0–14	58,736,297	30,462,148	28,274,149	41.83
15–64	77,158,732	38,348,799	38,809,933	54.94
65+	4,536,761	2,534,541	2,002,220	3.23

Population by age group (estimates 1.VII.2016) (Data are projections based on the 2006 Population Census.)^[28]

Age	Population	Percent
Total	193,392,517	100
0–4	31,116,156	16.09
5–9	27,549,964	14.25
10–14	22,221,265	11.49
15–19	20,518,404	10.61
20–24	18,501,820	9.57
25–29	16,816,694	8.70
30–34	13,038,009	6.74
35–39	10,096,763	5.22
40–44	8,891,384	4.60
45–49	6,322,797	3.27
50–54	5,851,717	3.03
55–59	2,845,486	1.47
60–64	3,374,357	1.74
65–69	1,585,140	0.82
70–74	1,832,402	0.95
75–79	798,511	0.41
80–84	1,046,690	0.54
85+	984,956	0.51
0–14	80,887,385	41.83
15–64	107,242,389	55.45
65+	5,262,743	2.72

Population by age group (estimates 1.VII.2020) (Source: National Population Commission.)^[29]

Age	Population	Percent
Total	206,283,338	100
0–4	32,819,289	15.91
5–9	29,231,173	14.17
10–14	25,970,650	12.59
15–19	20,342,647	9.86
20–24	17,871,826	8.66
25–29	14,992,764	7.27
30–34	13,402,007	6.50
35–39	12,505,764	6.06
40–44	10,427,144	5.05
45–49	7,963,484	3.86
50–54	6,383,640	3.09
55–59	5,002,819	2.43
60–64	3,696,336	1.79
65–69	2,447,988	1.19
70–74	1,591,000	0.77
75–79	915,154	0.44
80+	719,653	0.35
0–14	88,021,112	42.67
15–64	112,588,431	54.58
65+	5,673,795	2.75

Fertility and births

Total fertility rate (TFR) (Wanted TFR) and crude birth rate (CBR):^{[30][31] [32] [33][34]}

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
1960	47	6.35
1965–66	45.9	6.44
1967–69	46.1	6.42
1970	46.3	6.47
1971–73	46.7	6.57
1975	47.2	6.71
1978–82	47	6.78
1978–80	47	6.76
1981–82	46.68	6.78
1983–86	45.67	6.7
1987–90	45.9	6.57
1990	44.2	6.49 (5.8)	34	5.033 (4.8)	40	6.326 (6.1)
1999	43.2	6.13	35.6	4.50	38.5	5.44
2003	42.8	6.04 (5.3)	36.3	4.9 (4.6)	44.5	6.1 (5.7)
2004–07	42.4	5.97
2008	41.8	5.9 (5.3)	36.8	4.7 (4.4)	42.5	6.3 (5.8)
2013	40.2	5.5 (4.8)	35	4.7 (4.1)	42	6.2 (5.3)
2014–15	39.5	5.57
2015–18[35]	38	5.3	34	4.5	42	5.9
2021[36]		4.6

Year	TFR
1981–1982	6.8
1990	6.4
2003	6.0
2008	5.9
2013	5.7
2015–18	5.3
2021	4.6

Variable	TFR (Wanted TFR) (2003)	TFR (Wanted TFR) (2008)	TFR (Wanted TFR) (2013)	TFR (Wanted TFR) (2015–18)
Nigeria	5.7 (5.3)	5.7 (5.3)	5.5 (4.8)	5.3 (4.8)
Urban	4.9 (4.6)	4.7 (4.4)	4.7 (4.1)	4.5 (4.0)
Rural	6.1 (5.7)	6.3 (5.8)	6.2 (5.3)	5.9 (5.4)
Region – North Central	5.7	5.4	5.3	5.0 (4.7)
Region – North East	7.0	7.2	6.3	6.1 (5.6)
Region – North West	6.7	7.3	6.7	6.6 (5.9)
Region – South East	4.1	4.8	4.7	4.7 (4.3)
Region – South South	4.6	4.7	4.3	4.0 (3.6)
Region – South West	4.1	4.5	4.6	3.9 (3.5)

Fertility data as of 2013 (DHS Program):^[37]

State	Total fertility rate	Percentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnant	Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Abuja	3.8	8.3	4.7
Benue	5.2	13.0	6.8
Kogi	4.2	9.4	5.7
Kwara	5.1	7.2	5.2
Nasarawa	5.4	10.8	5.8
Niger	6.1	14.8	5.8
Plateau	5.4	11.2	5.6
Adamawa	5.8	15.6	6.7
Bauchi	8.1	16.9	8.4
Borno	4.7	12.7	5.2
Gombe	7.0	14.3	7.9
Taraba	6.0	10.6	7.1
Yobe	6.6	13.4	7.4
Jigawa	7.6	15.1	7.6
Kaduna	4.1	21.0	5.7
Kano	6.8	12.6	7.7
Katsina	7.4	17.3	8.4
Kebbi	6.7	16.9	8.2
Sokoto	7.0	14.1	7.3
Zamfara	8.4	17.0	8.7
Abia	4.2	7.3	5.0
Anambra	4.2	6.0	4.7
Ebonyi	5.3	9.1	7.1
Enugu	4.8	8.4	5.9
Imo	4.8	8.3	5.0
Akwa Ibom	3.9	5.3	5.4
Bayelsa	4.5	11.3	6.1
Cross River	5.4	9.1	5.5
Delta	4.1	10.6	5.6
Edo	4.4	6.3	5.7
Rivers	3.8	9.5	4.9
Ekiti	4.3	7.0	5.2
Lagos	4.1	7.2	4.3
Ogun	5.4	10.6	4.9
Ondo	5.2	9.1	5.2
Osun	4.1	6.8	4.3
Oyo	4.5	11.9	5.1

Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)^[38]

Fertility rate by state

Variable	TFR (2008)	TFR (2011)*	TFR (2013)	TFR (2016)*	TFR (2018)	TFR (2021)*
Nigeria	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.8	5.3	4.6
Urban	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.9	4.5
Rural	6.3	6.3	6.2	6.3	5.9
Region – North Central	5.4	4.9	5.3	5.3	5.0
Abuja (FCT)	4.0	3.8	4.5	4.6	4.3	3.2
Benue	5.9	4.9	5.2	4.8	4.5	4.3
Kogi	4.2	3.9	4.2	3.7	4.8	3.3
Kwara	4.5	5.1	5.1	4.4	5.2	3.7
Nasarawa	4.7	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.3	4.5
Niger	7.5	6.1	6.1	6.4	5.8	4.6
Plateau	5.3	4.5	5.4	5.6	4.7	4.4
Region – North East	7.2	6.7	6.3	6.4	6.1
Adamawa	6.8	5.6	5.8	5.5	6.1	4.2
Bauchi	8.1	8.6	8.1	6.8	7.2	6.5
Borno	7.1	6.7	4.7	6.1	5.2	5.9
Gombe	7.4	5.6	7.0	7.3	6.6	5.3
Taraba	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.5	5.4	4.9
Yobe	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.8	5.9	6.1
Region – North West	7.3	7.2	6.7	7.3	6.6
Jigawa	7.1	6.7	7.6	8.5	7.1	7.6
Kaduna	6.3	7.9	4.1	5.6	5.9	5.7
Kano	8.1	7.5	6.8	7.7	6.5	6.4
Katsina	7.2	8.2	7.4	7.5	7.3	7.4
Kebbi	6.0	7.0	6.7	7.7	6.5	6.6
Sokoto	8.7	5.2	7.0	7.3	7.0	5.2
Zamfara	7.5	6.5	8.4	7.3	6.4	5.3
Region – South East	4.8	5.1	4.7	4.6	4.7
Abia	4.4	5.2	4.2	5.1	4.9	4.1
Anambra	5.0	5.7	4.2	4.3	4.7	3.0
Ebonyi	5.6	6.1	5.3	5.2	5.4	3.7
Enugu	4.4	4.3	4.8	3.8	4.1	3.4
Imo	4.8	4.6	4.8	5.1	4.5	3.6
Region – South South	4.7	4.9	4.3	4.3	4.0
Akwa Ibom	4.0	4.0	3.9	4.5	3.6	3.6
Bayelsa	5.8	6.7	4.5	4.8	4.4	4.2
Cross River	5.4	5.8	5.4	4.4	3.7	3.1
Delta	4.5	5.3	4.1	5.2	4.4	4.0
Edo	5.3	5.3	4.4	3.8	4.8	3.2
Rivers	4.3	4.3	3.8	3.3	3.9	3.1
Region – South West	4.5	5.1	4.6	4.4	3.9
Ekiti	5.0	4.8	4.3	4.4	4.6	3.9
Lagos	4.0	4.7	4.1	4.0	3.4	3.2
Ogun	5.4	5.6	5.4	4.5	3.8	4.8
Ondo	4.9	3.9	5.2	4.5	4.1	3.6
Osun	4.0	4.9	4.1	4.7	3.8	3.5
Oyo	5.0	6.4	4.5	4.9	4.5	3.7

∗ MICS surveys

Contraceptive prevalence

Contraceptive prevalence, any methods (% of women ages 15–49)

Year	1982	1990	1994	1999	2003	2007	2008	2011	2012	2013	2016	2017
% of women ages 15–49	6.8%	6.0%	13.4%	15.3%	12.6%	14.7%	14.6%	14.1%	13.5%	15.1%	20.4%	13.4%

∗ UNICEFs state of the worlds children and child info, United Nations population divisions world contraceptive use, household surveys including demographic and health surveys and multiple indicator cluster surveys.^[39]

Population projections

The total population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase to almost one billion people, making it the most populated region outside of South-Central Asia.^[40] According to the United Nations, the population of Nigeria will reach 375 million by 2050. Nigeria might then be the 3rd most populous country in the world. In 2100, the population of Nigeria may reach 541 million.^[41]While the overall population is expected to increase, the growth rate is estimated to decrease from 1.2 per cent per year in 2010 to 0.4 per cent per year in 2050.^[40] The birth rate is also projected to decrease from 20.7 to 13.7, while the death rate is projected to increase from 8.5 in 2010 to 9.8 in 2050.^[40] By 2050, 69.6% of the population is estimated to be living in urban areas compared to 50.6% in 2010.^[40]

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in Nigeria is not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates (UN World Population Prospects 2022).^[42]

Period	Population per year	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*
1950	36 836 000	1,697,000	1,010,000	687,000	45.6	27.1	18.5	6.42	184.0
1951	37 543 000	1,731,000	1,028,000	702,000	45.7	27.1	18.5	6.42	183.2
1952	38 263 000	1,760,000	1,044,000	716,000	45.6	27.0	18.5	6.39	181.6
1953	38 986 000	1,797,000	1,056,000	741,000	45.7	26.8	18.8	6.40	180.4
1954	39 710 000	1,831,000	1,074,000	757 000	45.7	26.8	18.9	6.40	179.0
1955	40 455 000	1,869,000	1,088,000	781,000	45.7	26.6	19.1	6.40	177.9
1956	41 223 000	1,909,000	1,109,000	800,000	45.8	26.6	19.2	6.41	176.9
1957	42 010 000	1,948,000	1,124,000	824,000	45.9	26.5	19.4	6.40	176.0
1958	42 817 000	1,988,000	1,145,000	843,000	46.0	26.5	19.5	6.39	175.1
1959	43 613 000	2,026,000	1,159,000	866,000	46.0	26.3	19.7	6.38	173.8
1960	44 476 000	2,072,000	1,179,000	893,000	46.1	26.2	19.9	6.36	172.4
1961	45 381 000	2,120,000	1,192,000	928,000	46.2	26.0	20.2	6.35	171.0
1962	46 330 000	2,174,000	1,214,000	960,000	46.4	25.9	20.5	6.36	169.6
1963	47 314 000	2,220,000	1,224,000	996,000	46.4	25.6	20.8	6.35	167.2
1964	48 332 000	2,270,000	1,242,000	1,028,000	46.5	25.4	21.0	6.36	165.9
1965	49 381 000	2,320,000	1,258,000	1,061,000	46.5	25.2	21.3	6.37	165.0
1966	50 471 000	2,373,000	1,281,000	1,092,000	46.5	25.1	21.4	6.39	164.2
1967	51 570 000	2,424,000	1,365,000	1,059,000	46.5	26.2	20.3	6.40	165.8
1968	52 643 000	2,478,000	1,349,000	1,129,000	46.6	25.4	21.2	6.42	163.6
1969	53 577 000	2,533,000	1,367,000	1,166,000	46.6	25.2	21.4	6.44	162.6
1970	54 945 000	2,595,000	1,353,000	1,241,000	46.7	24.3	22.3	6.47	160.7
1971	56 194 000	2,671,000	1,348,000	1,323,000	47.0	23.7	23.3	6.53	156.9
1972	57 481 000	2,741,000	1,343,000	1,398,000	47.1	23.1	24.0	6.58	153.0
1973	58 866 000	2,819,000	1,341,000	1,479,000	47.3	22.5	24.8	6.63	149.0
1974	60 344 000	2,922,000	1,340,000	1,583,000	47.8	21.9	25.9	6.70	144.9
1975	61 971 000	3,021,000	1,336,000	1,684,000	48.1	21.3	26.8	6.77	141.0
1976	63 731 000	3,106,000	1,324,000	1,781,000	48.1	20.5	27.6	6.81	137.2
1977	65 585 000	3,203,000	1,323,000	1,880,000	48.1	19.9	28.2	6.86	133.8
1978	67 594 000	3,308,000	1,340,000	1,968,000	48.2	19.5	28.7	6.92	130.7
1979	69 673 000	3,385,000	1,367,000	2,017,000	47.9	19.3	28.5	6.89	128.1
1980	71 828 000	3,460,000	1,397,000	2,063,000	47.5	19.2	28.3	6.85	126.1
1981	74 075 000	3,537,000	1,426,000	2,111,000	47.1	19.0	28.1	6.82	124.4
1982	76 276 000	3,613,000	1,462,000	2,151,000	46.7	18.9	27.8	6.80	123.5
1983	78 500 000	3,704,000	1,494,000	2,210,000	46.5	18.8	27.8	6.78	123.1
1984	80 203 000	3,726,000	1,524,000	2,202,000	45.8	18.7	27.1	6.70	123.2
1985	82 472 000	3,777,000	1,571,000	2,206,000	45.2	18.8	26.4	6.62	123.5
1986	84 698 000	3,824,000	1,624,000	2,200,000	44.6	18.9	25.6	6.56	123.9
1987	86 910 000	3,884,000	1,656,000	2,228,000	44.1	18.8	25.3	6.50	124.3
1988	89 178 000	3,963,000	1,689,000	2,274,000	43.9	18.7	25.2	6.50	124.6
1989	91 525 000	4,080,000	1,723,000	2,357,000	44.0	18.6	25.4	6.49	124.6
1990	93 963 000	4,168,000	1,773,000	2,395,000	43.8	18.6	25.2	6.46	124.5
1991	96 465 000	4,266,000	1,839,000	2,428,000	43.7	18.8	24.9	6.43	124.4
1992	98 906 000	4,373,000	1,884,000	2,489,000	43.7	18.8	24.9	6.39	123.9
1993	101 458 000	4,495,000	1,922,000	2,573,000	43.7	18.7	25.0	6.35	123.4
1994	104 092 000	4,619,000	1,989,000	2,629,000	43.8	18.9	24.9	6.32	122.6
1995	106 820 000	4,732,000	2,040,000	2,692,000	43.7	18.9	24.9	6.27	121.6
1996	109 555 000	4,828,000	2,081,000	2,747,000	43.5	18.8	24.8	6.22	120.3
1997	112 357 000	4,910,000	2,108,000	2,801,000	43.2	18.5	24.6	6.14	118.4
1998	115 225 000	5,002,000	2,134,000	2,868,000	42.9	18.3	24.6	6.07	116.2
1999	118 156 000	5,177,000	2,138,000	3,039,000	43.2	17.9	25.4	6.08	113.7
2000	121 235 000	5,345,000	2,146,000	3,199,000	43.5	17.5	26.0	6.12	110.9
2001	124 468 000	5,496,000	2,165,000	3,331,000	43.6	17.2	26.4	6.14	108.1
2002	127 837 000	5,645,000	2,192,000	3,453,000	43.6	16.9	26.6	6.14	105.2
2003	131 329 000	5,779,000	2,202,000	3,577,000	43.4	16.5	26.9	6.12	102.3
2004	134 910 000	5,902,000	2,225,000	3,676,000	43.2	16.3	26.9	6.09	99.5
2005	138,603,000	6,054,000	2,232,000	3,822,000	43.1	15.9	27.2	6.07	96.6
2006	142,378,000	6,191,000	2,247,000	3,945,000	42.9	15.6	27.3	6.08	94.0
2007	146,281,000	6,337,000	2,273,000	4,064,000	42.7	15.3	27.4	6.08	91.7
2008	150,307,000	6,506,000	2,311,000	4,195,000	42.7	15.2	27.5	6.08	89.6
2009	154,458,000	6,645,000	2,321,000	4,323,000	42.4	14.8	27.6	6.04	87.8
2010	158,733,000	6,776,000	2,355,000	4,421,000	42.1	14.6	27.5	5.98	86.4
2011	163,173,000	6,916,000	2,372,000	4,544,000	41.8	14.3	27.5	5.92	85.1
2012	167,755,000	7,014,000	2,414,000	4,600,000	41.2	14.2	27.0	5.83	84.0
2013	172,397,000	7,095,000	2,447,000	4,648,000	40.6	14.0	26.6	5.74	83.1
2014	177,055,000	7,189,000	2,493,000	4,697,000	40.1	13.9	26.2	5.66	82.4
2015	181,703,000	7,273,000	2,541,000	4,732,000	39.5	13.8	25.7	5.62	81.6
2016	186,289,000	7,384,000	2,574,000	4,810,000	39.1	13.6	25.5	5.58	80.6
2017	191,045,000	7,487,000	2,600,000	4,887,000	38.7	13.4	25.3	5.52	79.4
2018	195,947,000	7,590,000	2,627,000	4,963,000	38.2	13.2	25.0	5.45	77.9
2019	200,828,000	7,698,000	2,642,000	5,056,000	37.8	13.0	24.9	5.38	76.3
2020	205,781,000	7,806,000	2,708,000	5,098,000	37.5	13.0	24.5	5.31	74.7
2021	210,874,000	7,923,000	2,793,000	5,131,000	37.1	13.1	24.0	5.24	73.0
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Life expectancy at birth

Life expectancy from 1950 to 2015 (UN World Population Prospects):^[43]

Period	Life expectancy in Years
1950–1955	33.81
1955–1960	35.80
1960–1965	38.13
1965–1970	39.97
1970–1975	42.03
1975–1980	44.29
1980–1985	46.02
1985–1990	45.95
1990–1995	45.87
1995–2000	46.00
2000–2005	46.94
2005–2010	49.75
2010–2015	51.88

Other demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics of Nigeria in 2022 are from the World Population Review.^[44]

• One birth every 4 seconds
• One death every 13 seconds
• One net migrant every 9 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 6 seconds

The following demographic statistics are from The World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.^[19]

Population

218,541,212 (2022 est.)

203,452,505 (July 2018 est.)

178.5 million (2014 est.)^[45]

174,507,539 (July 2013 est.)

Religions

Muslim 53.5%, Roman Catholic 10.6%, other Christian 35.3%, other 0.6% (2018 est.)

50% Muslim, 48.2% Christian, 1.8% other^[46]

Age structure

0–14 years: 41.7% (male 45,571,738 / female 43,674,769).

15–24 years: 20.27% (male 22,022,660 / female 21,358,753)

25–54 years: 30.6% (male 32,808,913 / female 32,686,474)

55–64 years: 4.13% (male 4,327,847 / female 4,514,264)

65 years and over: 3.3% (male 3,329,083 / female 3,733,801) (2020 est.)

0–14 years: 42.45% (male 44,087,799 / female 42,278,742)

15–24 years: 19.81% (male 20,452,045 / female 19,861,371)

25–54 years: 30.44% (male 31,031,253 / female 30,893,168)

55–64 years: 4.04% (male 4,017,658 / female 4,197,739)

65 years and over: 3.26% (male 3,138,206 / female 3,494,524) (2018 est.)

0–14 years: 42.5% (male 41,506,288 / female 39,595,720)

15–24 years: 19.6% (male 19,094,899 / female 18,289,513)

25–54 years: 30.7% (male 30,066,196 / female 28,537,846)

55–64 years: 3.9% (male 3,699,947 / female 3,870,080)

65 years and over: 3% (male 2,825,134 / female 3,146,638) (2017 est.)

0–14 years: 43.8% (male 39,127,615 / female 37,334,281)

15–24 years: 19.3% (male 17,201,067 / female 16,451,357)

25–54 years: 30.1% (male 25,842,967 / female 26,699,432)

55–64 years: 3.8% (male 3,016,896 / female 3,603,048)

65 years and over: 3% (male 2,390,154 / female 2,840,722) (2013 est.)

Birth rate

34.19 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 18th

35.2 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 20th

36.9 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

38.78 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Death rate

8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.). Country comparison to the world: 70th

9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.). Country comparison to the world: 46th

12.4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

13.2 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.57 children born/woman (2023 est.) Country comparison to the world: 14th

4.62 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 16th

4.85 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 16th

5.07 children born/woman (2017 est.)

Population growth rate

2.53% (2022 est.). Country comparison to the world: 22nd

2.54% (2018 est.). Country comparison to the world: 21st

2.43% (2017 est.). Country comparison to the world: 24th

2.54% (2013 est.)

Median age

Total: 18.6 years. Country comparison to the world: 207th

Male: 18.4 years

Female: 18.9 years (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

20.4 years (2018 est.)

Note: median age at first birth among women 25–49

20.3 years

Note: median age at first birth among women 25–29 (2013 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

16.6% (2018)

13.4% (2016/17)

Net migration rate

−0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.). Country comparison to the world: 113rd

−0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.). Country comparison to the world: 106th

−0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios

Total dependency ratio: 88.2

Youth dependency ratio: 83

Potential support ratio: 19.4 (2015 est.)

Urbanisation

Urban population: 53.5% of total population (2022)

Rate of urbanisation: 3.92% annual rate of change (2020–25 est.)

Urban population: 50.3% of total population (2018)

Rate of urbanisation: 4.2% annual rate of change (2015–20 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 61.33 years. Country comparison to the world: 217th

Male: 59.51 years

Female: 63.27 years (2022 est.)

Total population: 59.3 years (2018 est.)

Male: 57.5 years (2018 est.)

Female: 61.1 years (2018 est.)

Total population: 52.05 years

Male: 48.95 years

Female: 55.33 years (2012 est.)

Total population: 46.94 years

Male: 46.16 years

Female: 47.76 years (2009 est.)

Total population: 51.56 years

Male: 51.58 years

Female: 51.55 years (2000 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: very high (2020)

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhoea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever

Water contact diseases: leptospirosis and schistosomiasis

Animal contact diseases: rabies

Respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis

Aerosolised dust or soil contact diseases: Lassa fever

Note 1: on 30 September 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Notice for a Yellow Fever outbreak in Nigeria; a large, ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria began in September 2017; the outbreak is now spread throughout the country with the Nigerian Ministry of Health reporting cases of the disease in multiple states (Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu); the CDC recommends travellers going to Nigeria should receive vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days before travel and should take steps to prevent mosquito bites while there; those never vaccinated against yellow fever should avoid travel to Nigeria during the outbreak

Note 2: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Nigeria; as of 6 June 2022, Nigeria has reported a total of 256,148 cases of COVID-19 or 124.3 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 3,148 cumulative deaths or a rate of 1.5 cumulative death per 100,000 population; as of 22 May 2022, 12.97% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Note 3: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Nigeria is currently considered a high risk to travellers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Ethnic groups

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 2.8% (2017 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 2.6 million (2007 est.), 3.3 million (2009 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Total: 9 years

Male: 9 years

Female: 8 years (2011)

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 62%

Male: 71.3%

Female: 52.7% (2018)

Total population: 67.6%

Male: 71.2%

Female: 53.7% (2015 est.)

Total population: 78.6%

Male: 84.35%

Female: 72.65% (2010 est.)^[48]

Unemployment, youth ages 15–24

Total: 18.3%

Male: 18.4%

Female: 18.2% (2019 est.) NA

Population distribution

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country. Significant population clusters are scattered throughout the country, with the highest density areas being in the south and southwest.

Emigration

Today millions of ethnic Nigerians live abroad, the largest communities can be found in the United Kingdom (500,000–3,000,000)^[49] and the United States (600,000–1,000,000 Nigerians), other countries that followed closely are South Africa, Gambia, and Canada respectively. There are also large groups in Ireland, Portugal and many other countries.^[50] Inspiration for emigration is based heavily on socio-economical issues such as warfare, insecurity, economical instability and civil unrest.

Between 1400 and 1900, of 1.4 million of 2 million emigrants were slaves sent to the Americas with the other 600,000 being sent to other destinations via the trans-Saharan, Red Sea and Indian Ocean routes. This is due to the fact that the land now known as Nigeria was a central point for 4 slave trades during the 19th century. Though bondage represented a great deal, an estimated 30,000 Nigerian inhabitants would relocate to Kano City and Gambia to take advantage of financial opportunities afforded by fertile land and available natural resources. What's more, the presence of gold mines and rail lines along the Gold Coast, present-day Ghana, attracted an estimated 6,500 Nigerian citizens to attain financial gain and opportunity. The population of Nigerians in Ghana rose to roughly 149,000 before the 1969 alien expulsion order would displace nearly the entire population to surrounding countries.^[51]

Religion

Nigeria is nearly equally divided between Islam and Christianity. The majority of Nigerian Muslims are Sunni and mostly live in the northern, central and south-western states of the country, while Christians dominate in some central states (especially Plateau and Benue states), and the south-east and south-south regions. Other religions practised in Nigeria include African Traditional Religion, Hinduism, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, The Grail Movement, and the Reformed Ògbóni Fraternity, one of the traditional socio-religious institutions of the Yorùbá people and their Òrìṣà religion known as Ẹ̀sìn Òrìṣà Ìbílẹ̀ in the Yorùbá language.^[52]

According to a 2009 Pew survey, 50.4% of Nigeria's population were Muslims.^[53] A later Pew study in 2011 calculated that Christians now formed 50.8% of the population.^[54][55] Adherents of other religions made up 1% of the population.^[56]

The shift of population balance between Muslims and Christians is a result of northern and southern Nigeria being in different stages of demographic transition. The Muslim-dominated north is in an earlier stage of the demographic transition with much higher fertility rates than the south, whose split Christian/Muslim population is further along in the transition, and whose fertility rates are declining. Decreasing fertility can be linked to more access to education, use of contraceptives, and differing beliefs regarding family planning.^[57]

The 1999 introduction of Sharia law in twelve northern Nigerian states led to massive violence and unrest and caused an ethnic and religious rift between Sharia and Non-Sharia states, a divide that has deepened with time.^[57]

Crime

Nigeria is home to a substantial network of organised crime, active especially in drug trafficking. Nigerian criminal groups are heavily involved in drug trafficking, shipping heroin from Asian countries to Europe and America; and cocaine from South America to Europe and South Africa.^[58]

The various Nigerian confraternities or "campus cults" are active in both organised crime and in political violence as well as providing a network of corruption within Nigeria. As confraternities have extensive connections with political and military figures, they offer excellent alumni networking opportunities. The Supreme Vikings Confraternity, for example, boasts that twelve members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are cult members.^[59] On lower levels of society, there are the "area boys", these are organised gangs mostly active in Lagos who specialise in mugging and small-scale drug dealing. According to official statistics, gang violence in Lagos resulted in 273 civilians and 84 policemen killed in the period of August 2000 to May 2001.^[60]

"The result of factors such as endemic local corruption, which facilitates illicit trafficking; the Nigerian Civil War, which contributed to a proliferation of firearms; the oil boom of the 1970s, which led to the embezzlement of public funds; and the economic crisis of the 1980s, which was accompanied by a rise in robberies. The expansion of the Nigerian diaspora and organized crime went hand in hand. Global migration boosted prostitution, drug trafficking and fraud, the three main activities of Nigerian syndicates. The smuggling of Nigerian sex workers became a whole industry that now extends from Switzerland to France and Italy (where black prostitutes are called "fireflies"), and has even reached the Prudish Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from which 1,000 women are said to be deported every month by the authorities."^[61]

The high crime rate among Nigerian migrants also leads to stereotyping Nigerians as criminals; thus, in Cameroon, Nigerian migrants are perceived collectively by the inhabitants of Cameroon as likely to be oil smugglers or dealers in stolen cars. In the Netherlands, the debate on Nigerian crime reached an intensity described as a "moral panic" by one scholar.^[62][63] In Switzerland, the crime rate of Nigerian young males was reported as 620% that of Swiss males in same age group (2009 data), the second highest crime rate of any nationality, just below that of Angolan nationals (at 630%).^[64]

Nigeria is also pervaded by political corruption. It is ranked 136 out of 168 countries in Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index.^[65]

Notes

See also

• 2023 Census of Nigeria

References

Further reading

• "Nigeria". Demographic Dividend Initiative. Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
• Demographic dynamics and development in Nigeria (Report). ProQuest 1706105013.
• Dyson, Tim (October 2010). Population and Development: The Demographic Transition. Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84277-960-6.
• Omoju, Oluwasola E; Abraham, Terfa W (24 March 2014). "Youth bulge and demographic dividend in Nigeria". African Population Studies. 27 (2): 352–360. doi:10.11564/27-2-480.
• Reed, H. E., & Mberu, B. U. (2014). Capitalizing on Nigeria's demographic dividend: reaping the benefits and diminishing the burdens. Etude de La.
• Reed, Holly E; Mberu, Blessing U (24 March 2014). "Capitalizing on Nigeria's demographic dividend: reaping the benefits and diminishing the burdens". African Population Studies. 27 (2): 319–330. doi:10.11564/27-2-477. PMC 4335263. PMID 25705077.
• "Nigeria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 10 April 2018.