Nigeria is the African country with the largest population, counting over 230 million people. As of 2024, the largest city in Nigeria was Lagos, which is also the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of population size. The city counts more than nine million inhabitants, whereas Kano, the second most populous city, registers around 3.6 million inhabitants. Lagos is the main financial, cultural, and educational center in the country. Where Africa’s urban population is booming The metropolitan area of Lagos is also among the largest urban agglomerations in the world. Besides Lagos, another most populated citiy in Africa is Cairo, in Egypt. However, Africa’s urban population is booming in other relatively smaller cities. For instance, the population of Bujumbura, in Burundi, could grow by 123 percent between 2020 and 2035, making it the fastest growing city in Africa and likely in the world. Similarly, Zinder, in Niger, could reach over one million inhabitants by 2035, the second fastest growing city. Demographic urban shift More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. In the next decades, this will increase, especially in Africa and Asia. In 2020, over 80 percent of the population in Northern America was living in urban areas, the highest share in the world. In Africa, the degree of urbanization was about 40 percent, the lowest among all continents. Meeting the needs of a fast-growing population can be a challenge, especially in low-income countries. Therefore, there will be a growing necessity to implement policies to sustainably improve people’s lives in rural and urban areas.

As of July 2024, Nigeria's population was estimated at around 229.5 million. Between 1965 and 2024, the number of people living in Nigeria increased at an average rate of over two percent. In 2024, the population grew by 2.42 percent compared to the previous year. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. By extension, the African continent records the highest growth rate in the world. Africa's most populous country Nigeria was the most populous country in Africa as of 2023. As of 2022, Lagos held the distinction of being Nigeria's biggest urban center, a status it also retained as the largest city across all of sub-Saharan Africa. The city boasted an excess of 17.5 million residents. Notably, Lagos assumed the pivotal roles of the nation's primary financial hub, cultural epicenter, and educational nucleus. Furthermore, Lagos was one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. Nigeria's youthful population In Nigeria, a significant 50 percent of the populace is under the age of 19. The most prominent age bracket is constituted by those up to four years old: comprising 8.3 percent of men and eight percent of women as of 2021. Nigeria boasts one of the world's most youthful populations. On a broader scale, both within Africa and internationally, Niger maintains the lowest median age record. Nigeria secures the 20th position in global rankings. Furthermore, the life expectancy in Nigeria is an average of 62 years old. However, this is different between men and women. The main causes of death have been neonatal disorders, malaria, and diarrheal diseases.

Population, total in Nigeria was reported at 227882945 in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Nigeria's population structure reveals a youthful demographic, with those aged **** years comprising the largest age group compared to the total of those between the ages of 30 and 84 years. The majority of the young population are men. This demographic trend has significant implications for Nigeria's future, particularly in terms of economic development and social services. It has the potential to offer a large future workforce that could drive economic growth if it is adequately educated and employed. However, without sufficient investment in health, education, and job creation, this youth bulge could strain public resources and fuel unemployment and social unrest. Poverty challenges amid population growth Despite Nigeria's large youth population, the country faces substantial poverty challenges. This is largely due to its youth unemployment rate, which goes contrary to the expectation that the country’s large labor force would contribute to employment and the economic development of the nation. In 2022, an estimated **** million Nigerians lived in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than **** U.S. dollars a day. This number is expected to rise in the coming years, indicating a growing disparity between population growth and economic opportunities. The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where **** million people live in extreme poverty compared to *** million in urban centers. Linguistic and ethnic diversity Nigeria's population is characterized by significant linguistic and ethnic diversity. Hausa is the most commonly spoken language at home, used by ** percent of the population, followed by Yoruba at ** percent and Igbo at ** percent. This linguistic variety reflects Nigeria's complex ethnic composition, with major groups including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Fulani. English, the country's official language, serves as the primary language of instruction in schools, promoting literacy across diverse communities.

Total current population for Nigeria in 2025 is 234,573,603, a 2.37% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Total population for Nigeria in 2024 was <strong>229,152,217</strong>, a <strong>0.56% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Total population for Nigeria in 2023 was <strong>227,882,945</strong>, a <strong>2.12% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Total population for Nigeria in 2022 was <strong>223,150,896</strong>, a <strong>2.11% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Rural population (% of total population) in Nigeria was reported at 45.72 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The total population in Nigeria was estimated at 232.7 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Nigeria Population - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2025, the country counted over 237.5 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 135.5 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 118.4 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranked seventh, while Mauritius had the highest population density on the whole African continent in 2023. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

Abstract

The Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) is a statistical survey designed to collect comprehensive data on employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the population labour force. It provides quarterly estimates of the main labour force statistics with sufficient precision at the national level. This report contains findings from the Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) for the second quarter of 2024. The statistics are measured based on the labour force framework as guided by the international standard for labour market statistics for international comparability and the specific data requirements for the country.

The main objective of the NLFS is to collect basic statistics on the labour market situation in Nigeria and make labour statistics available to support government policies and programmes for effective planning, and for the private sector to support investment decision-making aimed at improving the employment situation in the country. The Labour Force Survey also serves as a tool for monitoring progress towards national goals and global commitments with an overarching goal of promotingthe welfare of the Nigerian population while ensuring the availability of labour market statistics to feed into the global sustainable development goals agenda. Labour is often one of the most important factors of production and is a major determinant of the economic system globally. Therefore, it is imperative to know whether people are working or not, how long they work, and the nature of the jobs they are engaged in.

The NLFS enables key labour market statistics and the employment situation to be monitored periodically in Nigeria. The indicators include the labour force participation rate, employment-to-population ratio, unemployment rate, time-related underemployment, self-employment, labour underutilisation, and other key job characteristics.

Geographic coverage

National Zone State Sector

Analysis unit

Individual

Universe

Household Members

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The target sample for the entire year is 35,520 households divided across 12 months, meaning the target sample for each quarter is 8,880 households. After small levels of non-response and replacement, the final sample for Q1 2024 is 8,836 households across the 36 states including the FCT.

Sampling deviation

No Deviations

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

A structured questionnaire was used for NLFS. A household questionnaire was administered in each household, which collected various information on Identification, Demographic Characteristics(inclusion of disability questions for 5 years or older), Education, Employed at work,Temporarily absence, Agricultural work and Market Orientation, Characteristics of main and secondary job, Unemployent and out of labour.Some of the questions were administered at household level while others were at individual level.

Cleaning operations

Real - Time data editing took place at different stages throughout the processing which includes: 1) Data editing and cleaning 2) Structure checking and completeness 3) Secondary editing 4) Structural checking of data files

Response rate

The household response rate is 100%.

Sampling error estimates

The margin of error of each quarter is 1% for national estimates.

Data appraisal

A series of data quality tables and graphs are available in the reports.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Kano, Nigeria metro area from 1950 to 2025.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Abuja, Nigeria metro area from 1950 to 2025.

This statistic shows the total population of Nigeria from 2013 to 2023 by gender. In 2023, Nigeria's female population amounted to approximately 112.68 million, while the male population amounted to approximately 115.21 million inhabitants.

Urban population in Nigeria was reported at 128043517 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Urban population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

nigeria - Employment to Population Ratio for Nigeria was 80.12% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, nigeria - Employment to Population Ratio for Nigeria reached a record high of 80.12 in January of 2024 and a record low of 76.99 in January of 2021. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for nigeria - Employment to Population Ratio for Nigeria - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

UNICEF's country profile for Nigeria, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Maiduguri, Nigeria metro area from 1950 to 2025.

The Nigerian states of Sokoto and Taraba had the largest percentage of people living below the poverty line as of 2019. The lowest poverty rates were recorded in the South and South-Western states. In Lagos, this figure equaled 4.5 percent, the lowest rate in Nigeria.

A large population in poverty

In Nigeria, an individual is considered poor when they have an availability of less than 137.4 thousand Nigerian Naira (roughly 334 U.S. dollars) per year. Similarly, a person having under 87.8 thousand Naira (about 213 U.S. dollars) in a year available for food was living below the poverty line according to Nigerian national standards. In total, 40.1 percent of the population in Nigeria lived in poverty.

Food insecurity on the rise

On average, 21.4 percent of the population in Nigeria experienced hunger between 2018 and 2020. People in severe food insecurity would go for entire days without food due to lack of money or other resources. Over the last years, the prevalence with severe food among Nigerians has been increasing, as the demand for food is rising together with a fast-growing population.

The total population of Nigeria was estimated at approximately 227.71 million people in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the total population has risen by around 154.29 million people since 1980. Between 2024 and 2030, the total population will rise by around 35.27 million people, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

Lagos, in Nigeria, ranked as the most populated city in Africa as of 2024, with an estimated population of roughly nine million inhabitants living in the city proper. Kinshasa, in Congo, and Cairo, in Egypt, followed with some 7.8 million and 7.7 million dwellers. Among the 15 largest cities in the continent, another two, Kano, and Ibadan, were located in Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. Population density trends in Africa As of 2022, Africa exhibited a population density of 48.3 individuals per square kilometer. At the beginning of 2000, the population density across the continent has experienced a consistent annual increment. Projections indicated that the average population residing within each square kilometer would rise to approximately 54 by the year 2027. Moreover, Mauritius stood out as the African nation with the most elevated population density, exceeding 640 individuals per square kilometre. Mauritius possesses one of the most compact territories on the continent, a factor that significantly influences its high population density. Urbanization dynamics in Africa The urbanization rate in Africa was anticipated to reach close to 44 percent in 2021. Urbanization across the continent has consistently risen since 2000, with urban areas accommodating 35 percent of the total population. This trajectory is projected to continue its ascent in the years ahead. Nevertheless, the distribution between rural and urban populations shows remarkable diversity throughout the continent. In 2021, Gabon and Libya stood out as Africa’s most urbanized nations, each surpassing 80 percent urbanization. In 2023, Africa's population was estimated to expand by 2.35 percent compared to the preceding year. Since 2000, the population growth rate across the continent has consistently exceeded 2.45 percent, reaching its pinnacle at 2.59 percent between 2012 and 2013. Although the growth rate has experienced a deceleration, Africa's population will persistently grow significantly in the forthcoming years.

Nigeria birth rate for 2025 is 35.34, a 0.96% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Nigeria birth rate for 2024 was <strong>35.68</strong>, a <strong>8.28% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Nigeria birth rate for 2023 was <strong>32.95</strong>, a <strong>0.72% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Nigeria birth rate for 2022 was <strong>33.19</strong>, a <strong>1.06% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.