Population growth in Nigeria
Nigeria: Population growth was 2.1% in 2024. βΌ Falling
Population growth in Nigeria, 1970β2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2024, population growth in Nigeria stood at 2.1%. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Nigeria peaked at 3.1% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2024.
Nigeria ranks 50th of 212 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.3% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More population data for Nigeria
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.023 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 32.05 million (2100)
- Population density 523.46 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.023 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 4.38 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 96,387 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 4.38 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 4.38 (2024)
- Natural population growth 2.12 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 4.48 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Nigeria?
- Population growth in Nigeria was 2.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 1980.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2024.
- How does Nigeria rank for population growth?
- Nigeria ranks 50th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release