Urban population in Nigeria
Nigeria: Urban population was 151.48 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Nigeria, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 151.48 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Nigeria peaked at 151.48 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.41 million, in 1960.
That places Nigeria 6th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.41 million | 6.41 million | 10.68 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.83 million | 11.30 million | 19.06 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.08 million | 20.22 million | 32.52 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 42.70 million | 34.17 million | 52.22 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.87 million | 54.70 million | 82.43 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 104.44 million | 86.12 million | 123.52 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 139.49 million | 127.90 million | 151.48 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More climate change data for Nigeria
- Population growth 2.1% (2025)
- Population, total 237.53 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (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 urban population in Nigeria?
- Urban population in Nigeria was 151.48 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 151.48 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.41 million in 1960.
- How does Nigeria rank for urban population?
- Nigeria ranks 6th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.