Population and Demographics of Nigeria
A very young population · 41.01% under age 15 in 2024
In Nigeria, the 2024 age structure includes 41.01% children and 3.05% older adults, and its age structure leaves 55.94% of residents in the 15-to-64 group. Over the 24 years from 2000 to 2024, Nigeria moved +84.1% in population size. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 359.19 million, 54.4% higher than in 2024.
Population Over Time in Nigeria
A longer view puts Nigeria at 126.382M in 2000 and 232.679M in 2024. That works out to a 84.1% gain. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 359.186M, about 54.4% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Age composition is an important part of Nigeria's demographic picture in 2024. Under-15s account for 41.01% of residents and people 65+ for 3.05%, leaving 55.94% in the broad 15 to 64 range. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Nigeria's 2024 population is 49.4% female and 50.6% male in the World Bank series. Males exceed females by 1.2 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Males made up 50.6% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.4% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
In the latest harmonized estimates, Nigeria shows +2.10% population change and fertility of 4.4, alongside a 41.01% child share and 3.05% older-adult share.
Nigeria's longer population series shows +84.1% change across 2000 to 2024, before the medium projection moves another +54.4% to 2050; component causes are not assigned without separate births, deaths and migration data.
2024 estimate for Nigeria. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Nigeria vs. World
Nigeria's demographic position looks different depending on the measure: annual change is higher than the world rate, fertility is above it, and its population is younger than the global median-age profile.
| Indicator | Nigeria | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +2.1% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.4 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 18 | 30.6 | 2024 |
No national-only figure is inserted into this world comparison. The country and global values share the same 2024 table and source context.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 232,679,478 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +2.10%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 41.01% are under 15 and 3.05% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 49.4% and 50.6% respectively.
By 2050, the medium projection is 359.186M, differing from 2024 by roughly 126.51 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Nigeria?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Nigeria is 232,679,478 people.
Is the population of Nigeria growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Nigeria's population is growing, with annual change of +2.10%.
What percentage of the population of Nigeria is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 3.05% of Nigeria's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Nigeria in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Nigeria's 2050 population at 359,185,556.
What is the fertility rate in Nigeria?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Nigeria is 4.4 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.