Nigeria population
Nigeria: 238 million people in 2025 (237,527,782), 6th of 217 countries and areas — and 359 million projected for 2050.
Compare Nigeria with another country
Where it stands
In 2025 Nigeria has 237,527,782 people, which is 2.9% of the 8.19 billion counted across the 217 countries and areas on this site. That puts it 6th by population, behind Pakistan and ahead of Brazil.
Since 1960
In 1960 the figure was 45,053,782. Since then the population has grown 5.27×, an average of 2.59% a year upward. It doubled at some point along the way — the year it first reached 90,107,564 was 1988.
The projection keeps rising to the end of the data: 359,185,556 in 2050, 51.2% above 2025. The highest figure on this page is that last one, so no peak has been reached yet.
The ranking in 2050
In 2050 the projected rank is 5th, up 1 place from 6th. Rankings move when other countries grow faster or slower, not only when Nigeria changes.
People and land
Nigeria covers 910,770 km² of land, so 2025 density is 261 people per km² — 52nd most crowded of 216 places with an area figure. At that density a square 10 km on a side holds about 26,080 people.
The fertility rate was 4.38 births per woman in 2024, well above replacement level; life expectancy at birth was 54.6 years (2024); 40.5% of people were under 15 and 3.1% were 65 or older (2025); 64% of the population lived in cities. These shape the curve above: a young population keeps growing after fertility falls, an old one starts shrinking sooner.
Its nearest neighbours in the ranking are Pakistan just above, with 255 million (1.07× as many), and Brazil just below, with 213 million (1.12× as many as Brazil has).
How the numbers are taken. Total population from the World Bank's population estimates and projections (built from United Nations and national statistics). Values to 2025 are estimates; 2026–2050 are projections that continue current fertility, mortality and migration trends. Sources and limits.