In 2022, the poultry bird population in Nigeria reached a total of 249 million heads, slightly higher than the count in the preceding year. Within the period observed, the highest stock of live poultry birds in the country was registered in 2022, while the lowest was in 2013.

Africa's live chicken population has seen steady growth over the past years, reaching 2.4 billion in 2023. This marks a significant increase from 1.66 billion in 2010, reflecting the growing importance of poultry farming across the continent. The rise in chicken stocks aligns with broader trends in African livestock production, where chickens, goats, and sheep form the backbone of animal husbandry.
Chickens dominate African livestock Chickens have emerged as the dominant livestock species in Africa, far outnumbering other animals. In 2022, the continent's chicken population soared to dwarf the goat and sheep populations. Egypt leads the continent in chicken farming, with a stock of 300 million birds, followed closely by Nigeria with 249 million. This prevalence of chickens is not limited to specific countries, but is a continent-wide phenomenon. Economic impact of livestock farming The growth in chicken populations has significant economic implications for African countries. In Ghana, for instance, the livestock sector contributed approximately 4.9 billion Ghanaian cedis (about 409.4 million U.S. dollars) to the country's GDP in 2022. This represents nearly 13 percent of the agricultural sector's total contribution to GDP. The number of chickens in Ghana has almost doubled since 2010, rising from 47.8 million to nearly 89 million in 2022. This trend mirrors the continent-wide growth in chicken farming and underscores the increasing economic importance of poultry in African agriculture.