People & Society
Nigeria
Literacy
male
73.7% (2021 est.)
female
53.3% (2021 est.)
total population
63.2% (2021 est.)
Languages
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani, and over 500 other native languages
Religions
Muslim 53.5%, Roman Catholic 10.6%, other Christian 35.3%, other 0.6% (2018 estimate)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.01 male(s)/female
total population
1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.88 male(s)/female
Birth rate
33.56 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
9.42 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
19.1 years
total
19.4 years (2025 est.)
female
19.6 years
Population
male
123,511,557
total
244,344,065 (2025 est.)
female
120,832,508
Nationality
noun
Nigerian(s)
adjective
Nigerian
Tobacco use
male
4.8% (2025 est.)
total
2.6% (2025 est.)
female
0.3% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
54.3% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.92% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
40.4% (male 48,856,606/female 46,770,810)
15-64 years
56.2% (male 66,897,900/female 66,187,584)
65 years and over
3.4% (2024 est.) (male 3,759,943/female 4,274,287)
Ethnic groups
Hausa 30%, Yoruba 15.5%, Igbo (Ibo) 15.2%, Fulani 6%, Tiv 2.4%, Kanuri/Beriberi 2.4%, Ibibio 1.8%, Ijaw/Izon 1.8%, other 24.9% (2018 estimate)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
1.6% (2021)
women married by age 15
12.3% (2021)
women married by age 18
30.3% (2021)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
78 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
72.2 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
17 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
5.9 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.38 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
4.1% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
4.3% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.59 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 63.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 79.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 93.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 36.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 20.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 6.3% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
0.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
3% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
58.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total
65.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
48.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
2.39% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
2.23 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
boasts the largest population of any African country; major population concentrations are dispersed throughout the nation, with the highest density in the southern and southwestern regions, as illustrated in this population distribution map
Life expectancy at birth
male
60.4 years
female
64.2 years
total population
62.2 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
993 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 41.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 62.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 81.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 58.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 37.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 18.1% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
4.49 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
3.27 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
15.946 million Lagos, 4.348 million Kano, 3.875 million Ibadan, 3.840 million ABUJA (capital), 3.480 million Port Harcourt, 1.905 million Benin City (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
8.9% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
20.4 years (2018 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
67.6% (2018 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
24.4% (2021 est.)