Median age in Nigeria
Nigeria: Median age was 17.75 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Median age in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, median age in Nigeria stood at 17.75 years.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, median age in Nigeria peaked at 18.3 years in 1964 and was at its lowest, 16.12 years, in 1988.
That places Nigeria 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 18.2 years | 18.06 years | 18.27 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.23 years | 17.98 years | 18.3 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.36 years | 16.8 years | 17.89 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.32 years | 16.12 years | 16.7 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.43 years | 16.15 years | 16.77 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.82 years | 16.69 years | 16.89 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.73 years | 16.62 years | 17.05 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.48 years | 17.21 years | 17.75 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.5759 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 4.48 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 4.48 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 4.48 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.56 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -1.01 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 39.63 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.7265 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 44.13 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 31.69 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is median age in Nigeria?
- Median age in Nigeria was 17.75 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest median age recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3 years in 1964.
- What is the lowest median age recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.12 years in 1988.
- How does Nigeria rank for median age?
- Nigeria ranks 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is median age rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.