Demographics of Nigeria
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the sixth in the world. It is also one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with approximately 218.5 million people in an area of 923,768 km2 (356,669 sq mi).
| Demographics of Nigeria | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of Nigeria in 2020 | |
| Population | 218,541,212 (2022 est.) |
| Growth rate | 2.53% (2022 est.) |
| Birth rate | 34.19 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 52,68 years |
| • male | 52,28 years |
| • female | 53.07 years |
| Fertility rate | 4.62 children born/woman (2022 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | 56.68 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Net migration rate | −0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 41.7% |
| 65 and over | 3.3% |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 1.02 male(s)/female (2022 est.) |
| At birth | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 0.77 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Language | |
| Official | English |
54.3% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, with the annual rate of urbanisation being estimated at 3.92%. Nigeria is home to 371 ethnic groups speaking over 500 languages and the variety of customs and traditions among them gives the country great cultural diversity. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, who make up 25% of the population; the Yoruba, who make up 21%; and the Igbo, who make up 18%. The Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Annang, and Ogoni are other Southern populations. Meanwhile, the Tiv, Urhobo-Isoko, Edo and Itsekiri inhabit Nigerian's Midwest. Over 1.2 million people living in Nigeria (0.5% of its total population, or 1 in every 200 people living in Nigeria) are from a continent other than Africa. There are 100,000 people from the United States, 75,000 are from Lebanon, 60,000 are from China and 16,000 are from the United Kingdom.
Nigeria has a young population overall, with 42.54% of inhabitants between the ages of 0–14. There is also a very high dependency ratio at 88.2 dependants per 100 non-dependants. The three main religious groups are Muslims (estimated to be 53.5% of the total population), Christians (estimated at 45.9%), and adherents of indigenous religions (estimated at 0.6%). The predominantly Christian Igbo are found in the southeast. Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in Igboland, but Anglicanism is also strong, as are Pentecostalism and other Evangelical denominations.
Persons of different ethnic backgrounds most commonly communicate in English, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are the most widely used Nigerian languages. Nigerian Pidgin is used widely as an unofficial medium of communication, especially in the Nigerian cities of Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, Benin and Port Harcourt.