What is the population of Nigeria by states: Latest data as of 2024

Published 12 Oct 2017 Updated 13 Sep 2023

by Jackline Wangare, Adrianna Simwa

3 min read

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. Its population is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity, with more than 250 distinct ethnic groups and languages. Here is a review of the latest published data on the population of Nigeria by state.

what is the current population of nigeria — A large group of people in the Nigerian flag color form to create the map. Photo: Jelina Preethi (modified by author)
Source: UGC

Nigeria is subdivided into six regions known as geopolitical zones. The zones are further subdivided into states. There are 36 states in Nigeria today.

What is the population of Nigeria by states?

The most recent population data for all 36 states in Nigeria was gathered in 2019. Below is a list displaying the population figures for each Nigerian state.

Rank as of 2019	States	Population (2016)	Population (2019)
1	Kano State	9,401,288	14,253,549
2	Lagos State	9,113,605	12,772,884
3	Katsina State	5,801,584	9,300,382
4	Kaduna State	6,113,503	8,324,285
5	Bauchi State	4,653,066	7,540,663
6	Oyo State	5,580,894	7,512,855
7	Rivers State	5,198,716	7,034,973
8	Jigawa State	4,361,002	6,779,080
9	Niger Stat	3,954,772	6,220,617
10	Ogun State	3,751,140	5,945,275
11	Sokoto State	3,702,676	5,863,187
12	Benue State	4,253,641	5,787,706
13	Borno State	4,171,104	5,751,590
14	Anambra State	4,177,828	5,599,910
15	Zamfara State	3,278,873	5,317,793
16	Delta State	4,112,445	5,307,543
17	Imo State	3,927,563	5,167,722

What is the total population of Nigeria?

Here is a summary table of the population of Nigeria for several years.

Year	Population	Global rank
2023	223,804,632	6
2022	218,541,212	6
2020	208,327,405	7
2015	183,995,785	7
2010	160,952,853	7
2005	140,490,722	9
2000	122,851,984	10
1995	108,187,610	10
1990	95,214,257	10
1985	83,585,251	10
1980	72,951,439	11
1975	62,851,312	11
1970	55,569,264	12
1965	49,925,799	14
1960	44,928,342	14
1955	40,839,223	14

Top 20 most populated cities in Nigeria

Nigeria is known for its vibrant and diverse cities, each with a unique culture. Here are the top 20 most populated cities in Nigeria.

Rank	City	Population
1	Lagos	9,000,000
2	Kano	3,626,068
3	Ibadan	3,565,108
4	Kaduna	1,582,102
5	Port Harcourt	1,148,665
6	Benin City	1,125,058
7	Maiduguri	1,112,449
8	Zaria	975,153
9	Aba	897,560
10	Jos	816,824
11	Ilorin	814,192
12	Oyo	736,072
13	Enugu	688,862
14	Abeokuta	593,100
15	Abuja	590,400
16	Sokoto	563,861
17	Onitsha	561,066
18	Warri	536,023
19	Ebute Ikorodu	535,619
20	Okene	479,178

What is the current population of Nigeria?

Nigeria currently boasts a population of approximately 224 million, securing its place as the sixth most populous country in the world, including dependencies.

The nation's population density is 246 individuals per square kilometre (636 people per square mile). As of 2024, roughly 53.9% of the population resides in urban areas, totalling 120,696,717 people.

What is the population of Nigeria in 2024?

As per Worldometer's analysis of the most recent United Nations data, Nigeria's current population surpasses 224 million, accounting for approximately 2.78% of the global population.

The demographic distribution of the population of Nigeria by states reflects the nation's diversity across different regions. These states serve as the foundation for equitable political, economic, and educational resource allocation within the country.

Legit.ng recently explored the main economic problems present in Nigeria. Like other middle-income nations with emerging markets, Nigeria has experienced steady growth in communication, technology, finance, manufacturing, and services sectors.

Nonetheless, the economy still grapples with persistent problems, including inadequate healthcare infrastructure, elevated crime rates, unemployment, and pervasive corruption.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:

Jackline Wangare (Lifestyle writer) Jackline Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng, where she has worked since mid-2021. She tackles diverse topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. Previously, she worked at The Campanile by Kenyatta University. She has more than five years in writing. Jackline graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (2019) and a Diploma in Marketing (2015) from Kenyatta University. In 2023, Jackline finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and Google News Initiative course in 2024. Email: simwajackie2022@gmail.com.

Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com

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Rank as of 2019	States	Population (2016)	Population (2019)
18	Kebbi State	3,256,541	5,001,610
19	Ondo State	3,460,877	4,969,707
20	Akwa Ibom State	3,902,051	4,780,581
21	Adamawa State	3,178,950	4,536,948
22	Edo State	3,233,366	4,461,137
23	Plateau State	3,206,531	4,400,974
24	Enugu State	3,267,837	4,396,098
25	Osun State	3,416,959	4,237,396
26	Cross River State	2,892,988	4,175,020
27	Kogi State	3,314,043	4,153,734
28	Abia State	2,845,380	3,841,943
29	Gombe State	2,365,040	3,623,462
30	Yobe State	2,321,339	3,398,177
31	Ekiti State	2,398,957	3,350,401
32	Taraba State	2,294,800	3,331,885
33	Kwara State	2,365,353	3,259,613
34	Ebonyi State	2,176,947	3,007,155
35	Nasarawa State	1,869,377	2,632,239
36	Bayelsa State	1,704,515	2,394,725
-	Federal Capital Territory	1,406,239	2,702,443