Nigeria’s population is estimated at about 216.6 million people in 2024, yet it is also projected to soar to 375.9 million by 2050. That growth sits alongside sharp contrasts such as 54.1 years life expectancy and 108 under five deaths per 1,000 live births. From HIV and births to urban expansion, school access, and humanitarian pressure, the dataset paints a country shaped by fast change and uneven outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 2.18 million people live with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (2023 estimate)
- 15,000+ women give birth every day in Nigeria (high-level country estimate)
- Nigeria’s population is projected to reach 375.9 million by 2050 (UN DESA projection)
- Nigeria had 19.0 million births in 2022 (UNICEF/UN estimates, country monitoring dataset)
- Nigeria had 1.5 million births to adolescents aged 15–19 in 2020 (UNICEF dataset)
- Nigeria’s under-five mortality rate was 108 deaths per 1,000 live births (UN IGME/UNICEF, latest available)
- Nigeria’s percentage of population using at least basic drinking water is 68% (JMP, latest available)
- Nigeria’s food insecurity affects 30.4% of the population (IPC analysis, latest available period)
- Nigeria’s Gini coefficient is 35.1 (World Bank, latest available)
- Nigeria’s primary school net enrollment rate is 59.7% (World Bank, latest available)
- Nigeria’s lower secondary net enrollment rate is 42.1% (World Bank, latest available)
- Nigeria’s gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education is 10.7% (World Bank, latest available)
- Nigeria’s rural population share is 47% (UN DESA, latest estimate)
- Nigeria has a net international migration rate of 0.2 per 1,000 population (World Bank, latest available)
- Nigeria hosts about 2.0 million refugees and asylum-seekers (UNHCR, latest available)
Nigeria is growing fast and urbanizing, with 2.18 million living with HIV in 2023 and projections toward 375.9 million by 2050.
Related reading
Demographics
12.18 million people live with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (2023 estimate)[1]
Directional
215,000+ women give birth every day in Nigeria (high-level country estimate)[2]
Verified
3Nigeria’s population is projected to reach 375.9 million by 2050 (UN DESA projection)[3]
Verified
4Nigeria had 26.0 million children under age 5 in 2019 (UNICEF data)[4]
Single source
5Nigeria is projected to have a median age of 19.5 years by 2050 (UN DESA projection)[5]
Directional
6Nigeria’s urban population is projected to rise from 49.9 million (2010) to 317.3 million (2050) (UN DESA)[6]
Verified
7Nigeria’s youth (ages 15–24) numbered about 37.3 million in 2021 (UN DESA, youth population dataset)[7]
Verified
8Nigeria’s population is estimated at about 216.6 million in 2024 (UN DESA estimate)[8]
Verified
9Nigeria’s population density is about 230 people per square kilometer (World Bank, latest available)[9]
Verified
10Nigeria’s total fertility rate is 5.3 births per woman (World Bank, latest available)[10]
Verified
11Nigeria’s population growth rate is 2.4% (World Bank, latest available)[11]
Verified
12Nigeria’s life expectancy at birth is 54.1 years (World Bank, latest available)[12]
Directional
Demographics Interpretation
Nigeria’s demographics are shifting fast as the population is expected to grow to about 375.9 million by 2050 with a median age of just 19.5 years, meaning a youthful country shaped by high fertility of 5.3 births per woman and rapid population growth of 2.4 percent.
Health & Wellbeing
1Nigeria had 19.0 million births in 2022 (UNICEF/UN estimates, country monitoring dataset)[13]
Verified
2Nigeria had 1.5 million births to adolescents aged 15–19 in 2020 (UNICEF dataset)[14]
Verified
3Nigeria’s under-five mortality rate was 108 deaths per 1,000 live births (UN IGME/UNICEF, latest available)[15]
Verified
4Nigeria had 1.1 million malaria-related deaths (modelled estimate, latest available)[16]
Single source
5Nigeria’s immunization coverage (DPT-containing vaccine, 3 doses) is 46% (World Bank, latest available)[17]
Verified
Health & Wellbeing Interpretation
Nigeria faces major health challenges for its youngest and most vulnerable as shown by a 108 under five mortality rate alongside 1.1 million malaria related deaths and only 46% immunization coverage for DPT 3 doses, even though there were 19.0 million births in 2022.
Social & Poverty
1Nigeria’s percentage of population using at least basic drinking water is 68% (JMP, latest available)[18]
Directional
2Nigeria’s food insecurity affects 30.4% of the population (IPC analysis, latest available period)[19]
Verified
3Nigeria’s Gini coefficient is 35.1 (World Bank, latest available)[20]
Directional
4Nigeria’s percentage of population with access to electricity is 55% (World Bank, latest available)[21]
Directional
5Nigeria’s population in need of humanitarian assistance increased to 14.3 million (OCHA Nigeria latest country page)[22]
Single source
Social & Poverty Interpretation
Nigeria’s Social and Poverty reality is marked by persistent deprivation, with 30.4% of people facing food insecurity and access to electricity held at 55%, alongside wider inequality shown by a 35.1 Gini coefficient and a humanitarian need that has climbed to 14.3 million.
Labor & Education
1Nigeria’s primary school net enrollment rate is 59.7% (World Bank, latest available)[23]
Verified
2Nigeria’s lower secondary net enrollment rate is 42.1% (World Bank, latest available)[24]
Verified
3Nigeria’s gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education is 10.7% (World Bank, latest available)[25]
Single source
4Nigeria’s school life expectancy is 10.4 years (World Bank, latest available)[26]
Single source
5Nigeria’s pupil-teacher ratio (primary) is 40 (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, latest available)[27]
Verified
Labor & Education Interpretation
Nigeria’s education pipeline looks constrained for future labor outcomes, with primary net enrollment at 59.7% and dropping to 42.1% in lower secondary even as tertiary gross enrollment remains low at 10.7%.
More related reading
Urbanization & Migration
1Nigeria’s rural population share is 47% (UN DESA, latest estimate)[28]
Directional
2Nigeria has a net international migration rate of 0.2 per 1,000 population (World Bank, latest available)[29]
Directional
3Nigeria hosts about 2.0 million refugees and asylum-seekers (UNHCR, latest available)[30]
Verified
4Nigeria has 1,000+ communities affected by internal displacement across states (IDMC, latest available narrative and country profile)[31]
Verified
5Kaduna has 8.8 million people (2022 estimate for Kaduna State, UN/WorldPop WPP-style)[32]
Verified
6Nigeria’s largest city by population is Lagos, with about 14.8 million people (2022 estimate)[33]
Verified
Urbanization & Migration Interpretation
With only 47% of Nigerians living in rural areas while Lagos alone holds about 14.8 million people, Nigeria’s urban growth is being shaped by migration pressures, including a net international migration rate of 0.2 per 1,000 and around 2.0 million refugees and asylum-seekers.
Population & Internet
1Nigeria had 104.9 million Facebook users (NapoleonCat estimate for Nigeria, latest available)[34]
Verified
2Nigeria had 99.6 million WhatsApp users (NapoleonCat estimate for Nigeria, latest available)[35]
Verified
3Nigeria had 44.2 million Instagram users (NapoleonCat estimate for Nigeria, latest available)[36]
Verified
4Nigeria has 73.2 million people using social media on mobile devices (DataReportal, latest available)[37]
Verified
Population & Internet Interpretation
Nigeria’s Population and Internet picture is clear in mobile-led social use, with 73.2 million people using social media on mobile devices and massive platforms such as 104.9 million Facebook and 99.6 million WhatsApp users.
Population & Migration
11.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers were hosted in Nigeria (UNHCR, 2024 country-level refugee statistics)[38]
Directional
254.7% of Nigeria’s total land area was classified as urban in 2020 (World Bank Urbanization by city built-up area dataset; share of land area)[39]
Verified
Population & Migration Interpretation
Nigeria hosted 1.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers while also having 54.7% of its land classified as urban in 2020, suggesting that population and migration pressures are unfolding largely within an increasingly urbanized landscape.
Vital Statistics
15.4 million Nigerians were born in 2022 (UN/UNICEF estimates of live births by country; country monitoring)[40]
Single source
247.7% of Nigeria’s population was female in 2022 (UN DESA population by sex estimate)[41]
Verified
Vital Statistics Interpretation
In Nigeria’s vital statistics, 5.4 million live births were recorded in 2022, showing a large inflow of new births alongside a slightly under-half population of women at 47.7%.
More related reading
Health & Mortality
159.3 deaths per 1,000 live births occurred among children under age 5 in Nigeria in 2021 (IHME GBD 2021 under-5 mortality rate)[42]
Verified
211.3% of households in Nigeria experienced catastrophic health expenditure in 2020 (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database analysis; catastrophic expenditure share)[43]
Verified
Health & Mortality Interpretation
Nigeria’s Health and Mortality burden remains high, with 59.3 deaths per 1,000 live births among children under age 5 in 2021 and 11.3% of households facing catastrophic health spending in 2020.
Education & Skills
114.3% of Nigeria’s youth aged 15–24 were in employment (unemployment/employment structure, ILOSTAT labor force survey modelled estimate)[44]
Verified
Education & Skills Interpretation
With only 14.3% of Nigeria’s youth aged 15–24 in employment, the education and skills pipeline appears to be translating into job opportunities at a very limited rate.
Infrastructure & Economy
172.6% of Nigeria’s population had access to an electricity grid connection in 2022 (World Bank enterprise surveys / WDI access to electricity indicator)[45]
Directional
225.1% of Nigeria’s population lived in households with access to a fixed telephone in 2023 (ITU country indicators for fixed telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants)[46]
Directional
Infrastructure & Economy Interpretation
From an infrastructure and economy perspective, only 72.6% of Nigeria’s population had access to an electricity grid connection in 2022 while just 25.1% had fixed telephone access in 2023, showing that basic connectivity is still uneven.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Nigeria Population Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nigeria-population-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Nigeria Population Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/nigeria-population-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Nigeria Population Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nigeria-population-statistics.
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