Population, total in Nigeria
Nigeria: Population, total was 237.53 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population, total in Nigeria, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in Nigeria is 237.53 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 24.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Nigeria peaked at 237.53 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 45.05 million, in 1960.
That places Nigeria 6th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 49.66 million | 45.05 million | 54.63 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 63.02 million | 55.89 million | 71.50 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 83.95 million | 73.76 million | 94.53 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 109.65 million | 97.12 million | 123.05 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 143.50 million | 126.38 million | 162.05 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 188.20 million | 166.64 million | 209.49 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 225.63 million | 214.00 million | 237.53 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More climate change data for Nigeria
- Population growth 2.1% (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 151.48 million (2025)
- Urban population 63.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 17.6% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 12.47 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 5.6% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 13.9% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 11.6% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Nigeria?
- Population, total in Nigeria was 237.53 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 237.53 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.05 million in 1960.
- How does Nigeria rank for population, total?
- Nigeria ranks 6th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.