Annual change in population in Nigeria
Nigeria: Annual change in population was 4.73 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
4.73 million people
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
2nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.85 million people
in 2013
All-time low
711,064 people
in 1951
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Nigeria, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, annual change in population in Nigeria stood at 4.73 million people.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Nigeria peaked at 4.85 million people in 2013 and was at its lowest, 711,064 people, in 1951.
Nigeria ranks 2nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 711,064 people | — |
| 1952 | 722,127 people | +1.6% |
| 1953 | 723,603 people | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 736,513 people | +1.8% |
| 1955 | 759,312 people | +3.1% |
| 1956 | 780,421 people | +2.8% |
| 1957 | 801,419 people | +2.7% |
| 1958 | 807,176 people | +0.7% |
| 1959 | 837,031 people | +3.7% |
| 1960 | 892,102 people | +6.6% |
| 1961 | 935,526 people | +4.9% |
| 1962 | 975,986 people | +4.3% |
| 1963 | 1.01 million people | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 1.04 million people | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 1.07 million people | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 1.10 million people | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 1.10 million people | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 1.14 million people | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 1.20 million people | +5.2% |
| 1970 | 1.26 million people | +5.2% |
| 1971 | 1.32 million people | +4.7% |
| 1972 | 1.39 million people | +5.0% |
| 1973 | 1.48 million people | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 1.60 million people | +7.9% |
| 1975 | 1.73 million people | +8.4% |
| 1976 | 1.85 million people | +6.7% |
| 1977 | 1.98 million people | +7.0% |
| 1978 | 2.09 million people | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 2.17 million people | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 2.27 million people | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 2.30 million people | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 2.31 million people | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 2.06 million people | -10.9% |
| 1984 | 2.09 million people | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 2.37 million people | +13.6% |
| 1986 | 2.34 million people | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 2.36 million people | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 2.43 million people | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 2.51 million people | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 2.59 million people | +3.1% |
| 1991 | 2.60 million people | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 2.65 million people | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 2.75 million people | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 2.81 million people | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 2.88 million people | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 2.94 million people | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 3.00 million people | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 3.09 million people | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 3.20 million people | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 3.34 million people | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 3.48 million people | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 3.61 million people | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 3.73 million people | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 3.85 million people | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 3.96 million people | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 4.06 million people | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 4.19 million people | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 4.33 million people | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 4.45 million people | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 4.59 million people | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 4.74 million people | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 4.82 million people | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 4.85 million people | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.85 million people | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 4.77 million people | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 4.77 million people | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.81 million people | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 4.68 million people | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 4.55 million people | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 4.51 million people | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 4.53 million people | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 4.62 million people | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 4.73 million people | +2.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 4.73 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 167,005 people, 28.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 4.73 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940 people, 13.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 764,296 people | 711,064 people | 837,031 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 1.05 million people | 892,102 people | 1.20 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.69 million people | 1.26 million people | 2.17 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.30 million people | 2.06 million people | 2.51 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.85 million people | 2.59 million people | 3.20 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.90 million people | 3.34 million people | 4.45 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.74 million people | 4.55 million people | 4.85 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.60 million people | 4.51 million people | 4.73 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More population data for Nigeria
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1509 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 377,460 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.22 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5063 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.0% (2100)
- Population density 523.46 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 32.05 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Nigeria?
- Annual change in population in Nigeria was 4.73 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.85 million people in 2013.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 711,064 people in 1951.
- How does Nigeria rank for annual change in population?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.