Nigeria Population 2024 (Live)

227,513,006

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. The United Nations project that the overall population of Nigeria will reach about 401.31 million by the end of the year 2050. By 2100, if current figures continue, the population of Nigeria will be over 728 million.

According to the Census Bureau of the United States, the population of Nigeria will surpass that of the United States in 2047, when the population of Nigeria will reach 379.25 million. With those numbers, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.

The major contributors to Nigeria’s population growth are early marriages, high birth rates, and a lack of family planning access. The birth rate in Nigeria is about 37 births per 1,000 people.

Nigeria Population Growth

The Nigerian government has been doing its best to help curb a rapid growth in population. They have offered free contraception over the past 10 years or so and they have even started taking steps to discourage people who are looking to have large families. The government is banking on smaller families as a way to secure financial salvation in the future. They are looking toward territories like Thailand – another area with large population growth issues – as a model for their current strategy.

Until the point where some success is found in these efforts, the current projections for 2050 are over 390 million total residents.

Nigeria Population Projections

Nigeria continues to grow faster than many other countries of similar size, but the rate is predicted to slow somewhat in the coming years with the current rate of 2.62% dwindling down to 2.04% by 2050. Nigeria's population is predicted to hit 206 million by 2020, and 264 million by 2030 - crossing the 300 million threshold around 2036.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
910,770
The current population of Nigeria is 227,513,006 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 229,152,217.

Nigeria Growth Rate

Nigeria Population 2024 (Live)

Nigeria Population Clock

Nigeria Population (as of 3/11/2024)227,513,006
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)229,152,217
Births per Day22,545
Deaths per Day7,613
Migrations per Day-164
Net Change per Day14,768
Population Change Since Jan. 11,048,528

Components of Population Change

One birth every 4 seconds
One death every 11 seconds
One emigrant every 8.78 minutes
Net gain of one person every 6 seconds

Nigeria Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Lagos9,000,000
Kano3,626,068
Ibadan3,565,108
Kaduna1,582,102
Port Harcourt1,148,665
Benin City1,125,058
Maiduguri1,112,449
Zaria975,153
Aba897,560
Jos816,824

Nigeria Area and Population Density

The total surface area of this country is approximately 923,768 square kilometers. In combination with the nearly 200 million person population, the density of Nigeria is around 212.04 individuals per sq km. This country also has the highest population of any African nation, and much of this population resides in the south and southwestern areas.

Largest Cities in Nigeria

Nigeria has 5 cities with populations of one million. Lagos is by far the largest, with a population of around 17.5 million. The other 4 cities ranked by population are Kano, Ibadan, Benin City, and Port Harcourt.

Nigeria Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
2024229,152,2172.42%252654
2023223,804,6322.44%246655
2020208,327,4052.47%229762
2019203,304,4922.48%223764
2018198,387,6232.53%218764
2017193,495,9072.56%212765
2015183,995,7852.71%202768
2010160,952,8532.76%177769
2005140,490,7222.72%154971
2000122,851,9842.57%1351073
1995108,187,6102.59%1191079
199095,214,2572.64%1051084
198583,585,2512.76%921089
198072,951,4393.02%801196
197562,851,3122.49%6911104
197055,569,2642.17%6112106
196549,925,7992.13%5513105
196044,928,3421.93%4914105
195540,839,2231.89%4514104

Nigeria Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
2024229,152,2172.42%252654
2025234,573,6032.4%258654
2030262,580,4262.28%288650
2035291,591,5982.12%320646
2040320,779,6601.93%352541
2045349,603,7021.74%384440
2050377,459,8831.54%414338
2055403,930,8031.36%444338
2060428,942,3941.21%471333
2065452,547,7051.08%497330
2070473,939,4990.93%520329
2075492,948,6450.79%541327
2080509,211,4280.65%559325
2085522,685,4480.52%574326
2090533,192,4610.4%585326
2095540,970,1200.29%594325

Nigeria Population by Year (Projections)

Nigeria Population Pyramid 2024

Nigeria Median Age

18.6

Total

18.4

Male

18.9

Female

Nigeria Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Nigeria.

Census Years

Year
Date
20172017
200627 March 2006
199126 November 1991

Nigeria Population Pyramid

Nigeria, officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country that is located on the western coast of Africa. The country features 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, which is known as Abuja. The country of Nigeria features over five hundred different ethnic groups, many different languages, and declared its independence from the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960.

Last collected in 2012 by the Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics, the total population of citizens in Nigeria was around 166.2 million people. In 2016, it is estimated to have over 178.5 million people although United Nations projections have placed the population as high as 186 million. Back in 1960, when the country declared its independence from the United Kingdom, the country recorded an estimated 45.2 million people. That constitutes a change of about 268% between the year 1960 and the year 2012. The entire population of Nigeria accounts for about 2.35% of the entire earth’s population. This means that about 1 out of every 43 people in the world call Nigeria their home.

It should be noted that these estimates by the Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics take into account the residual effects of the very high mortality rate due to the rampant AIDS epidemic in the country. The AIDS epidemic, while a lot more controlled in the United States, is still a very big killer on the entire continent of Africa. Many people and multiple leaders have taken steps to help African nations such as Nigeria fight the AIDS epidemic. Fortunately, the numbers have improved significantly over the last 15 to 20 years. There are currently 3.1 million residents in this country that are living with HIV/AIDS.

Nigeria Demographics

When it comes to the average of a Nigerian citizen, the country is relatively young. For both males and females, the median age of the country is actually 18.4 years of age. The split between the males and the females in Nigeria are quite even. Men take the edge in numbers, but not by much. There are, according to estimates, about 1.04 males to every 1 female in the country. It should be noted, though, that while women are slightly outnumbered by men, after the age of 65, women outnumber the number of men.

There are multiple ethnic groups in Nigeria. The Hausa-Fulani ethnicity outnumbers every other ethnic group, accounting for about 30% of the population. A majority of the Hausa-Fulani are of the Muslim faith. The second-largest ethnic group is the Yoruba, accounting for 15.5% of the population, followed by the Igbo (Ibo), comprising about 15.2% of the population.

The official language of Nigeria is English, but the country does feature multiple languages. The most common non-English languages include the language of Hausa, the language of Yoruba, and the language of Igbo. Those three languages are the most widespread, apart from the language of English.

Nigeria Religion, Economy and Politics

The overall religious aspect of Nigeria is generally split between Christianity and Islam. Most Nigerian Muslims are Sunni and are located in the northern parts of the country while the Christian population is located mainly in the middle and the southern areas of the country. A study in 2010 stated that 45.5% of the population was Muslim while the rest were Christian.

The life expectancy in Nigeria is, unfortunately, the lowest in all of West Africa. The average life expectancy is around 54.5 years of age according to WHO data, with men living an average of 53.7 years and women living an average of 55.4 years. This very low number can be attributed to the fact that the country has a lot of health issues. As previously mentioned, the AIDS epidemic is a major player in the low life expectancy. But on top of that, Nigeria has also fallen victim to a high child and maternal mortality rate and the widespread growth of the polio virus. In fact, one out of every five children that are born in Nigeria will die before they reach the age of five due to the many health risks in Nigeria.

While pregnancy is obviously not a disease by any means, a lot of expectant mothers in Nigeria die from pregnancy complications every year. A Nigerian woman's chances of death during pregnancy or childbirth is 1 in 13. In addition to that, many people in Nigeria do not seek professional medical attention as they feel that “healers” will help them live longer. They are not aware that professional doctors will give them a much longer life.

In terms of access to clean drinking water, 68.5% have improved means of access while 31.5% still struggle to get clean water. Similarly, when examining the access to sanitation facilities, only 29% of the entire population of Nigeria have improved sanitation access as compared to the 71% that are still struggling.

The average number of years spent in school here is approximately 9 years, with a national literacy rate of only 59.6%.

Nigeria Population History

Nigeria, since 1960, has grown to be the 7th most populated country in the world. That is saying a lot given the smaller size of the country itself. The government is really relying on population control as a way to save their country because it is quite difficult to survive as a small country without oil or highly valuable exports.

Nigeria Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
923,768
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
$390
GDP (UN '22)
$475.06 Bn

Nigeria - General Info

  1. National Bureau of Statistics
  2. World Population Prospects (2022 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  3. GeoNames

Sources