Home to a breathtakingly youthful and rapidly expanding nation, Nigeria’s population of over 223 million people is not just a number—it’s a dynamic force reshaping the country’s future at a staggering pace.
Key Takeaways
- Nigeria's population reached 206,139,589 in 2020 according to the United Nations
- As of July 2023, Nigeria has 223,804,632 inhabitants per Worldometer elaboration of UN data
- Nigeria's population density is 232 people per km² in 2023
- 0-14 years age group comprises 41.94% of Nigeria's population in 2023
- 15-64 years working age group is 55.13% of Nigeria's population
- 65+ years elderly group is 2.93% in Nigeria 2023
- Total fertility rate in Nigeria is 5.2 children per woman 2023
- Crude birth rate is 36.45 per 1,000 people in Nigeria 2023
- Infant mortality rate is 72.82 deaths per 1,000 live births Nigeria 2023
- Urban population growth rate: 4.25% annually Nigeria 2023
- Rural population percentage: 47.5% of total Nigeria 2023
- Largest city Lagos has 15.4 million people metro area 2023
- Hausa ethnic group comprises 30% of Nigeria's population approx. 67 million
- Yoruba ethnic group 15.5% about 35 million Nigerians
- Igbo ethnic group 15.2% roughly 34 million in Nigeria
Nigeria has a huge, young, and fast-growing population with immense urban expansion.
Age and Sex Distribution
- 0-14 years age group comprises 41.94% of Nigeria's population in 2023
- 15-64 years working age group is 55.13% of Nigeria's population
- 65+ years elderly group is 2.93% in Nigeria 2023
- Male population percentage in Nigeria is 49.9% as of 2023
- Female population percentage is 50.1% in Nigeria 2023
- Dependency ratio in Nigeria is 81.4% with high youth dependency
- Sex ratio at birth in Nigeria is 1.03 males per female
- Population pyramid shows broad base with 42% under 15 years
- Youth population (15-24) is 20.4% of total in Nigeria 2021 census projection
- Children under 5 years number 17.5 million in Nigeria 2023 est.
- Adolescent girls (10-19) total 11.2 million in Nigeria
- Males aged 0-14: 44,903,085 in Nigeria 2023
- Females aged 0-14: 43,012,197 in Nigeria 2023
- Working age males 15-64: 60,851,000 approx. in 2023
- Working age females 15-64: 59,305,000 approx. in 2023
- Elderly males 65+: 2,900,000 est. Nigeria 2023
- Elderly females 65+: 3,100,000 est. Nigeria 2023
- Age structure 0-4 years: 15.3% of population Nigeria 2023
- Age structure 5-9 years: 14.8% Nigeria 2023 CIA
- Age structure 10-14 years: 13.9% Nigeria population 2023
Age and Sex Distribution Interpretation
Nigeria is a nation built on a vast, youthful foundation, with nearly 42% of its people under 15 years old, presenting both a formidable promise for the future and an immense immediate challenge to harness that potential.
Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Diversity
- Hausa ethnic group comprises 30% of Nigeria's population approx. 67 million
- Yoruba ethnic group 15.5% about 35 million Nigerians
- Igbo ethnic group 15.2% roughly 34 million in Nigeria
- Fulani 6% around 13 million population Nigeria
- Muslims 53.5% of population over 119 million Nigeria 2023 est.
- Christians 45.9% about 102 million in Nigeria
- Over 500 ethnic groups in Nigeria with major three dominant
- English official language spoken by 50 million as first/second language
- Hausa language speakers 50-80 million Nigeria dominant north
- Yoruba speakers 40-45 million mainly southwest Nigeria
- Igbo speakers 30 million in southeast Nigeria
- Kanuri ethnic 4% about 9 million northeast Nigeria
- Ijaw ethnic 1.8% over 4 million Niger Delta Nigeria
- Ibibio 1.5% approx 3.3 million southeast Nigeria
- Traditional religions 1.6% about 3.5 million adherents Nigeria
- Pidgin English spoken by 100 million as lingua franca Nigeria
- Tiv ethnic 2.5% around 5.6 million central Nigeria
- Nupe ethnic 1% over 2 million Nigeria
- Languages total over 520 in Nigeria
- Muslims predominantly Sunni 53.5% with Shia minority
- Christians split Protestant 30% Catholic 10% other 6% Nigeria
- Edo ethnic 1% about 2.2 million midwest Nigeria
Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Diversity Interpretation
While the census may be a complex tapestry of over 500 ethnic threads, the national conversation is often clumsily hemmed by the 'Big Three' and stitched together by a linguistic patchwork of English, Pidgin, and a handful of dominant native tongues, all under the considerable, and often tense, drape of two major faiths.
Fertility, Mortality, and Life Expectancy
- Total fertility rate in Nigeria is 5.2 children per woman 2023
- Crude birth rate is 36.45 per 1,000 people in Nigeria 2023
- Infant mortality rate is 72.82 deaths per 1,000 live births Nigeria 2023
- Life expectancy at birth is 54.78 years total Nigeria 2023
- Maternal mortality ratio is 814 deaths per 100,000 live births Nigeria 2020
- Under-5 mortality rate is 117.2 per 1,000 live births Nigeria 2022
- Crude death rate is 8.31 per 1,000 people Nigeria 2023
- Net migration rate is -0.2 migrants per 1,000 population Nigeria
- Life expectancy males: 54.62 years Nigeria 2023
- Life expectancy females: 55.05 years Nigeria 2023
- Neonatal mortality rate: 37 per 1,000 live births Nigeria 2022
- Adolescent birth rate (15-19): 74.6 per 1,000 women Nigeria
- HIV/AIDS adult prevalence: 1.3% in Nigeria 2022
- Contraceptive prevalence rate: 17% among married women Nigeria
- Annual number of births: 7,599,297 in Nigeria 2023 est.
- Annual number of deaths: 1,707,778 in Nigeria 2023 est.
- Stillbirth rate: 43 per 1,000 births Nigeria 2022
- Total deaths under age 5: 292,895 annually Nigeria est.
- Female life expectancy at 60: 14.3 years Nigeria 2021
- Male life expectancy at 60: 14.0 years Nigeria 2021
- Probability of dying between 30-70 from NCDs: 25.4% Nigeria
- Suicide mortality rate: 6.9 per 100,000 Nigeria 2019
Fertility, Mortality, and Life Expectancy Interpretation
Nigeria's high birth rate is not a celebration of life but a frantic, heart-rending race against tragically predictable childhood mortality and a shockingly short adult life expectancy.
Total Population and Density
- Nigeria's population reached 206,139,589 in 2020 according to the United Nations
- As of July 2023, Nigeria has 223,804,632 inhabitants per Worldometer elaboration of UN data
- Nigeria's population density is 232 people per km² in 2023
- Land area of Nigeria is 923,768 km² supporting its dense population
- Nigeria ranks 6th globally in population size with 223 million in 2023
- Annual population growth rate in Nigeria is 2.44% as of 2023
- Nigeria's population doubled from 99 million in 1991 to 206 million in 2020
- Projected population for Nigeria in 2050 is 401 million per UN medium variant
- Nigeria's median age is 18.1 years indicating a youthful population
- Population living in urban areas is 52.5% in Nigeria as of 2023
Total Population and Density Interpretation
While Nigeria’s booming youth are poised to build a future as crowded as a Lagos bus, the sobering reality is that their nation must urgently find room, resources, and opportunity for a population set to nearly double by 2050.
Urbanization and Migration
- Urban population growth rate: 4.25% annually Nigeria 2023
- Rural population percentage: 47.5% of total Nigeria 2023
- Largest city Lagos has 15.4 million people metro area 2023
- Internal migrants number over 17 million in Nigeria 2010s
- Net migration flow: -50,000 annually Nigeria recent years
- International migrant stock: 1.5% of population Nigeria 2020
- Urban agglomerations over 1 million: 13 in Nigeria 2023
- Rural-urban migration rate high with 60% urban increase from migration
- IDPs in Nigeria: 3.3 million due to conflict 2023
- Refugee population hosted: 311,000 in Nigeria 2023
- Nigerian diaspora: 1.4 million abroad mainly UK and US 2020
- Slum population percentage: 52% of urban dwellers Nigeria
- Kano city population: 4.1 million metro Nigeria 2023
- Ibadan population: 3.7 million metro Nigeria 2023
- Abuja population: 3.0 million metro Nigeria 2023
- Port Harcourt population: 2.9 million metro Nigeria 2023
- Benin City population: 1.8 million metro Nigeria 2023
- Urban population total: 117 million in Nigeria 2023 est.
- Kaduna city population: 1.8 million metro Nigeria 2023
- Maiduguri population: 1.2 million affected by displacement Nigeria
Urbanization and Migration Interpretation
Nigeria is a nation in frantic motion, where a historic urban exodus fueled by both aspiration and adversity is rapidly building megacities faster than it can build decent lives for half the people arriving in them.
Sources & References
- Reference 1POPULATIONpopulation.un.orgVisit source
- Reference 2WORLDOMETERSworldometers.infoVisit source
- Reference 3CIAcia.govVisit source
- Reference 4MACROTRENDSmacrotrends.netVisit source
- Reference 5NIGERIANSTATnigerianstat.gov.ngVisit source
- Reference 6DATAdata.worldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 7POPULATIONPYRAMIDpopulationpyramid.netVisit source
- Reference 8DATAdata.unicef.orgVisit source
- Reference 9DATAdata.who.intVisit source
- Reference 10MIGRATIONDATAPORTALmigrationdataportal.orgVisit source
- Reference 11WORLDPOPULATIONREVIEWworldpopulationreview.comVisit source
- Reference 12UNHCRunhcr.orgVisit source
- Reference 13ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source