Natural population growth in Nigeria
Nigeria: Natural population growth was 2.12 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.12
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
45th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.91
in 1978
All-time low
1.83
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Natural population growth in Nigeria, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 2.12 for natural population growth in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, natural population growth in Nigeria peaked at 2.91 in 1978 and was at its lowest, 1.83, in 1950.
That places Nigeria 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Natural population growth in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.83 | — |
| 1951 | 1.85 | +1.2% |
| 1952 | 1.85 | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 1.88 | +1.2% |
| 1954 | 1.89 | +1.0% |
| 1955 | 1.91 | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 1.93 | +1.0% |
| 1957 | 1.95 | +0.9% |
| 1958 | 1.96 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 1.98 | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 2 | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 2.03 | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 2.06 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 2.07 | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 2.1 | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 2.12 | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 2.14 | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 2.07 | -3.2% |
| 1968 | 2.19 | +5.6% |
| 1969 | 2.22 | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 2.32 | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 2.4 | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 2.47 | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 2.54 | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 2.63 | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 2.71 | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 2.8 | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 2.86 | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 2.91 | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 2.9 | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 2.88 | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 2.87 | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 2.85 | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 2.85 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2.76 | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 2.7 | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 2.63 | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 2.59 | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 2.58 | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 2.59 | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 2.57 | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 2.53 | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 2.54 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.54 | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 2.53 | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 2.55 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 2.53 | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 2.52 | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 2.51 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 2.56 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 2.65 | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 2.68 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.7 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 2.73 | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 2.75 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 2.77 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 2.77 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 2.78 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 2.8 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 2.79 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 2.78 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 2.76 | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 2.71 | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 2.66 | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 2.62 | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 2.53 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 2.44 | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 2.35 | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 2.27 | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 2.2 | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 2.11 | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 2.12 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.12 | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 2.12 | -0.1% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 2.12 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.93, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 2.12 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.39, 89% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.9 | 1.83 | 1.98 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.1 | 2 | 2.22 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.66 | 2.32 | 2.91 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.73 | 2.58 | 2.88 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.54 | 2.51 | 2.57 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.74 | 2.65 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.53 | 2.2 | 2.78 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.12 | 2.11 | 2.12 | 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)
- Population growth rate 0.023 (2100)
- Population density 523.46 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 32.05 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth in Nigeria?
- Natural population growth in Nigeria was 2.12 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 2.91 in 1978.
- What is the lowest natural population growth recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.83 in 1950.
- How does Nigeria rank for natural population growth?
- Nigeria ranks 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Natural population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).