Demographics of Nigeria - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the demographic

Demographics

Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...

features of the population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, including population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

, ethnicity

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The most populous country in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

accounts for approximately one-sixth of Africa

Africa

's people. Approximately 50% of Nigerians are urban dwellers. At least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000. The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria's 389 ethnic groups gives the country a cultural diversity.

Census figures are used to determine regional funding and representation of ethnic and religious groups in government service. This provides an incentive for inflating local populations. On the other hand, some academics believe the figures given below by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO

Fão

Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....

) are a serious under-estimate.

Professor JG Ottong, a social scientist at the University of Calabar
University of Calabar
The University of Calabar - also known as UNICAL - is a university situated in Calabar, Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. It is one of Nigerian's second generation universities. The University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria until 1975...

, explained that population has been a sensitive and controversial issue "because of its implications for shaping regional, state and ethnic relations and balance of power". In the past, census figures were believed to have been manipulated for political advantage.

Overview

The most numerous ethnic group in the northern two-thirds of the country is the Hausa-Fulani

Hausa-Fulani

Hausa-Fulani is a term used to refer collectively to the Hausa and Fulani people of West Africa. The two are grouped together because since the Fulani War their histories have been largely intertwined...

,the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

. Other major ethnic groups of the north are the Nupe, Tiv, and Kanuri.
The Yoruba people are the most numerous in the southwest. Over half of the Yoruba

Yoruba people

The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...

s are Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

and about a quarter are Muslim, with the remainder hold traditional Yoruba views. The predominantly Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

Igbo

Igbo people

Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...

are the largest ethnic group in the southeast. Roman Catholics are the largest denomination, but Pentecostal and other Evangelical

Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...

denominations are also strong. The Efik, Ibibio

Ibibio people

The Ibibio are a people of southeastern Nigeria. They are related to the Anaang and the Efik peoples. During colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union asked for recognition by the British as a sovereign nation . The Annang, Efik, Ekid, Oron and Ibeno share personal names, culture, and traditions...

, Annang

Annang

The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...

, and Ijaw (the country's fourth-largest ethnic group) communities also comprise a substantial segment of the population in that area. Persons of different language backgrounds most commonly communicate in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa

Hausa language

Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...

, Yoruba

Yoruba language

Yorùbá is a Niger–Congo language spoken in West Africa by approximately 20 million speakers. The native tongue of the Yoruba people, it is spoken, among other languages, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo and in communities in other parts of Africa, Europe and the Americas...

, and Igbo

Igbo language

Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...

are the most widely used Nigerian languages.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population and Population Projections

Population: 155,215,573 (July 2011 est.)

Nigeria has been experiencing a population explosion for at least the last 50 years due to very high fertility rates, quadrupling its population during this time.

According to the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, the population of Nigeria will reach 390 million by 2050. In 2100, the population of Nigeria will reach 730 million.

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the population of Nigeria will reach 402 million by 2050. Nigeria will then be the 4th most populous country in the world.

Age structure

0–14 years:
44% (male 27,181,020; female 26,872,317)

15–64 years:
53% (male 33,495,794; female 32,337,193)

65 years and over:
3% (male 1,729,149; female 1,722,349) (2000 est.)

0–14 years:
41.5% (male 31,624,050/female 30,242,637)

15–64 years:
55.5% (male 42,240,641/female 40,566,672)

65 years and over:
3.1% (male 2,211,840/female 2,343,250) (2010 est.)

0-14 years:
40.9% (male 32,476,681/female 31,064,539)

15-64 years:
55.9% (male 44,296,228/female 42,534,542)

65 years and over:
3.1% (male 2,341,228/female 2,502,355) (2011 est.)

Vital statistics

Population growth rate:

1.935% (2011 est.)

Median age:

total: 19 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 19.1 years (2009 est.)

Birth rate:

43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
36.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
35.51 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Death rate:

18 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
16.56 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
16.06 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

94.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 51.56 years
male: 51.58 years
female: 51.55 years (2000 est.)

total population: 46.94 years
male: 46.16 years
female: 47.76 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.73 children born/woman (2011 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2.6 million (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

170,000 (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups

Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa

Hausa people

The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...

and Fulani 29%, Yoruba

Yoruba people

The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...

21%, Igbo

Igbo people

18%, Ijaw 6.5%, Yakurr 4%, Ibibio

Ibibio people

4.5%, Kanuri 4%, Annang

Annang

The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...

3.5%, Etsakor 2.2%, Tiv 2.5%, Efik 2%. These percentages are estimates, based on the number of settlements, including the number of towns, villages, hamlets and cities, with information supplied by the Nigeria postal service. Although, these estimates have come under opposition by those who believe the ethnic group population counts have been tampered with for ethnic numerical superiority.

In the absence of an up to date census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, other population figures do not follow scientific procedures. Only these are backed by settlement figures provided by the government.

Languages

English

English language

(official), Hausa

Hausa language

, Yoruba

Yoruba language

, Igbo

Igbo language

, Fulani, Efik (Annang/Ibibio/Efik)

Efik language

Efik , also known as Riverain Ibibio, is the native language of the Efik people of Nigeria, where it is a national language. It is the official language of the Cross River State in Nigeria.The name Efik is also used for Ibibio-Efik....

, Ijaw, Edo, Etsako, Esan

Esan language

Esan is a tonal Edoid language of Nigeria. Dictionaries and grammar texts of the Esan language are being produced, which may help the Esan appreciate their written language. There is a high level of illiteracy among the Esan, and a large number of dialects, including Ẹkpoma, Ewohimi, Ẹkpọn, and...

, Benis and others.

Literacy

Definition: Entire population of all ages who can read and write in any language
Total population: 78.6%
Male: 84.35%
Female: 72.65% (all: National Bureau of Statistics, 2010 National Literacy Survey)

Migration

Today millions of ethnic Nigerians live abroad, the largest communities can be found in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

(200,000- 500,000) and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

(165,000 Nigerians). There are also large groups in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

and many other countries.

Nigerian in Britain
Nigerian in America
Nigerian in Canada

Religions

Based on a 2009 World Religious survey (Mapping out the Global Muslim Population) 50.4% of Nigeria's population were Muslims,
they are mainly found in the northern part of the country. Majority of Nigerian Muslims are Sunni. Christians are the second largest religious group making up 48.2% of the population, they dominate in the Middle Belt

Middle Belt

The Middle Belt is a human geographical term designating the region of central Nigeria populated largely by minority ethnic groups and stretching across the country longitudinally. The Middle Belt is indeterminate in that it lacks designated "borders" and is charactized by a heterogeneity and...

and southern part of the country, while adherents of other religions make up 1.4% of the population.

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