Nigeria - Population, total

The value for Population, total in Nigeria was 206,139,600 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 60 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 206,139,600 in 2020 and a minimum value of 45,138,460 in 1960.

Definition: Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Popu

See also:

Year Value
1960 45,138,460
1961 46,063,570
1962 47,029,820
1963 48,032,930
1964 49,066,760
1965 50,127,920
1966 51,217,970
1967 52,342,230
1968 53,506,200
1969 54,717,040
1970 55,982,140
1971 57,296,990
1972 58,665,810
1973 60,114,620
1974 61,677,170
1975 63,374,290
1976 65,221,380
1977 67,203,140
1978 69,271,910
1979 71,361,140
1980 73,423,650
1981 75,440,500
1982 77,427,540
1983 79,414,840
1984 81,448,760
1985 83,562,780
1986 85,766,400
1987 88,048,030
1988 90,395,280
1989 92,788,040
1990 95,212,460
1991 97,667,630
1992 100,161,700
1993 102,700,800
1994 105,293,700
1995 107,948,300
1996 110,668,800
1997 113,457,700
1998 116,319,800
1999 119,260,100
2000 122,283,900
2001 125,394,000
2002 128,596,100
2003 131,900,600
2004 135,320,400
2005 138,865,000
2006 142,538,300
2007 146,340,000
2008 150,269,600
2009 154,324,900
2010 158,503,200
2011 162,805,100
2012 167,228,800
2013 171,765,800
2014 176,404,900
2015 181,137,500
2016 185,960,200
2017 190,873,200
2018 195,874,700
2019 200,963,600
2020 206,139,600

Development Relevance: Increases in human population, whether as a result of immigration or more births than deaths, can impact natural resources and social infrastructure. This can place pressure on a country's sustainability. A significant growth in population will negatively impact the availability of land for agricultural production, and will aggravate demand for food, energy, water, social services, and infrastructure. On the other hand, decreasing population size - a result of fewer births than deaths, and people moving out of a country - can impact a government's commitment to maintain services and infrastructure.

Limitations and Exceptions: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack (i) reliable recent census data, and (ii) pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data, are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in both the model and the data. In the UN estimates the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used; therefore interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. Because future trends cannot be known with certainty, population projections have a wide range of uncertainty.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Population estimates are usually based on national population censuses. Estimates for the years before and after the census are interpolations or extrapolations based on demographic models. Errors and undercounting occur even in high-income countries. In developing countries errors may be substantial because of limits in the transport, communications, and other resources required to conduct and analyze a full census. The quality and reliability of official demographic data are also affected by public trust in the government, government commitment to full and accurate enumeration, confidentiality and protection against misuse of census data, and census agencies' independence from political influence. Moreover, comparability of population indicators is limited by differences in the concepts, definitions, collection procedures, and estimation methods used by national statistical agencies and other organizations that collect the data. The currentness of a census and the availability of complementary data from surveys or registration systems are objective ways to judge demographic data quality. Some European countries' registration systems offer complete information on population in the absence of a census. The United Nations Statistics Division monitors the completeness of vital registration systems. Some developing countries have made progress over the last 60 years, but others still have deficiencies in civil registration systems. International migration is the only other factor besides birth and death rates that directly determines a country's population growth. Estimating migration is difficult. At any time many people are located outside their home country as tourists, workers, or refugees or for other reasons. Standards for the duration and purpose of international moves that qualify as migration vary, and estimates require information on flows into and out of countries that is difficult to collect. Population projections, starting from a base year are projected forward using assumptions of mortality, fertility, and migration by age and sex through 2050, based on the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects database medium variant.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Population