Demographics
Population density in Nigeria
| Population in Nigeria[133] |
| Year |
Million |
| 1971 |
55 |
| 1980 |
71 |
| 1990 |
95 |
| 2000 |
125 |
| 2004 |
138 |
| 2008 |
151 |
Nigeria's population increased by 57 million from 1990 to 2008, a 60% growth rate in less than two decades.
[133] Almost half of Nigerians are 14 years old or younger.
[134]
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and accounts for about
18% of the continent's total population, however, exactly how populous
is a subject of speculation.
[135]
The United Nations estimates that the population in 2009 was at
154,729,000, distributed as 51.7% rural and 48.3% urban, and with a
population density of 167.5 people per square kilometre. National census
results in the past few decades have been disputed. The results of the
most recent census were released in December 2006 and gave a population
of 140,003,542. The only breakdown available was by gender: males
numbered 71,709,859, females numbered 68,293,08. On June 2012, President
Goodluck Jonathan said that Nigerians should limit their number of
children.
[136]
According to the United Nations, Nigeria has been undergoing
explosive population growth and has one of the highest growth and
fertility rates in the world. By their projections, Nigeria is one of
eight countries expected to account collectively for half of the world's
total population increase from 2005–2050.
[137]
By 2100 the UN estimates that the Nigerian population will be between
505 million and 1.03 billion people (middle estimate: 730 million).
[138] In 1950, Nigeria had only 33 million people.
[139]
One in four Africans is a Nigerian.
[140] Presently,
Nigeria is the seventh most populous country in the world. 2006 estimates claim 42.3% of the population is between 0–14 years of age, while 54.6% is between 15–65; the
birth rate is significantly higher than the
death rate, at 40.4 and 16.9 per 1000 people respectively.
[141]
Nigeria's largest city is
Lagos. Lagos has grown from about 300,000 in 1950
[142] to an estimated 15 million today.
[143]
|
Largest cities or towns in Nigeria
[144]
|
|
Rank |
Name |
State |
Pop. |
Lagos
Kano |
1 |
Lagos |
Lagos |
8,048,430 |
| 2 |
Kano |
Kano |
2,828,861 |
| 3 |
Ibadan |
Oyo |
2,559,853 |
| 4 |
Benin City |
Edo |
1,147,188 |
| 5 |
Jos |
Plateau |
821,618 |
| 6 |
Ilorin |
Kwara |
777,667 |
| 7 |
Kaduna |
Kaduna |
760,084 |
| 8 |
Abuja |
FCT |
776,298 |
| 9 |
Enugu |
Enugu |
722,664 |
| 10 |
Warri |
Delta |
557,398 |
Ethnic groups
Nigeria has more than 500 ethnic groups, with varying languages and
customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The largest ethnic
groups are the
Hausa,
Yoruba,
Igbo and
Fulani, together accounting for more than 70% of the population, while the
Urhobo-Isoko,
Edo,
Ijaw,
Kanuri,
Ibibio,
Ebira,
Nupe,
Gwari,
Jukun,
Igala,
Idoma and
Tiv comprise between 25 and 30%; other minorities make up the remaining 5%.
[145]
The middle belt of Nigeria is known for its diversity of ethnic groups, including the Pyem, Goemai, and
Kofyar.
The official population count of each of Nigeria's ethnicities has
always remained controversial and disputed as members of different
ethnic groups believe the census is rigged to give a particular group
(usually believed to be northern groups) numerical superiority.
[101][146][147]
There are small minorities of British, American,
East Indian,
Chinese (est. 50,000),
[148] white
Zimbabwean,
[149] Japanese, Greek, Syrian and Lebanese
immigrants
in Nigeria. Immigrants also include those from other West African or
East African nations. These minorities mostly reside in major cities
such as
Lagos and
Abuja, or in the
Niger Delta as employees for the major oil companies. A number of Cubans settled in Nigeria as political refugees following the
Cuban Revolution.
In the middle of the 19th century, a number of ex-slaves of
Afro-Cuban and
Afro-Brazilian descent
[150] and emigrants from
Sierra Leone
established communities in Lagos and other regions of Nigeria. Many
ex-slaves came to Nigeria following the emancipation of slaves in the
Americas. Many of the immigrants, sometimes called Saros (immigrants
from Sierra Leone) and Amaro (ex-slaves from Brazil)
[151] later became prominent merchants and
missionaries in these cities.
Languages
Map of Nigeria's linguistic groups
There are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria (nine of which are now extinct).
In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language.
The official language of Nigeria, English, was chosen to facilitate the
cultural and linguistic unity of the country, owing to the influence of
British colonisation that ended in 1960.
Many French speakers from surrounding countries have influenced the
English spoken in the border regions of Nigeria and some Nigerian
citizens have become fluent enough in French to work in the surrounding
countries. The French spoken in Nigeria may be mixed with some native
languages but is mostly spoken like the French spoken in Benin. French
may also be mixed with English as it is in Cameroon. Most of the
population speaks English and their native language.
The major languages spoken in Nigeria represent three major families of
languages of Africa: the majority are
Niger-Congo languages, such as
Igbo,
Yoruba and
Fulfulde;
Kanuri, spoken in the northeast, primarily in
Borno and
Yobe State, is part of the
Nilo-Saharan family; and
Hausa is an
Afroasiatic language.
Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own
languages, English as the official language is widely used for
education, business transactions and for official purposes. English as a
first language is used only by a small minority of the country's urban
elite, and it is not spoken at all in some rural areas. Hausa is the
most widely spoken of the 3 main languages spoken in Nigeria itself
(Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba) but unlike the Yorubas and Igbos, the Hausas
tend not to travel far outside Nigeria itself.
[citation needed]
With the majority of Nigeria's populace in the rural areas, the major
languages of communication in the country remain indigenous languages.
Some of the largest of these, notably Yoruba and Igbo, have derived
standardised languages from a number of different dialects and are
widely spoken by those ethnic groups.
Nigerian Pidgin English, often known simply as '
Pidgin' or 'Broken' (Broken English), is also a popular
lingua franca,
though with varying regional influences on dialect and slang. The
pidgin English or Nigerian English is widely spoken within the
Niger Delta Regions, predominately in
Warri,
Sapele,
Port Harcourt,
Agenebode,
Ewu, and
Benin City.
[152]
Religion
Religion in Nigeria (Afrobarometer 2013)
[153]
Other (1%)
Nigeria is a religiously diverse society, with
Islam and
Christianity being the most widely professed religions. Nigerians are nearly equally divided into
Christians and
Muslims, with a tiny minority of adherents of
Animism and other religions.
Islam dominated the north and had a number of supporters in the South Western,
Yoruba part of the country. Nigeria has the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa.
Protestantism and local
syncretic Christianity are also in evidence in Yoruba areas, while
Roman Catholicism is more prominent in south eastern Nigeria. Both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism dominated in the
Ibibio,
Annang, and the
Efik kiosa lands.
The 1963 census indicated that 47% of Nigerians were Muslim, 35% Christian, and 18% members of
local indigenous congregations.
If accurate, this indicated a sharp increase since 1953 in the number
of Christians (up 23%); a decline among those professing indigenous
beliefs, compared with 20%; and only a modest (6%) drop of Muslims which
can likely be attributed to immigration, emigration, and birthrate.
The vast majority of
Muslims in Nigeria are
Sunni belonging to
Maliki school of
jurisprudence; however, a sizeable minority also belongs to
Shafi madhhab. A large number of
Sunni Muslims are members of
Sufi brotherhoods. Most Sufis follow the
Qadiriyya,
Tijaniyyah and/or the
Mouride movements. A significant
Shia minority exists (
see Shia in Nigeria). Some northern states have incorporated
Sharia law into their previously secular legal systems, which has brought about some controversy.
[154] Kano State has sought to incorporate Sharia law into its constitution.
[155] The majority of
Quranists follow the Kalo Kato or Quraniyyun movement. There are also
Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya minorities.
[156]
According to a 2001 report
[157] from
The World Factbook by
CIA, about 50% of Nigeria's population is
Muslim, 40% are
Christians and 10% adhere to local religions.
[158]
But in some recent report, the Christian population is now sightly
larger than the Muslim population. An 18 December 2012 report on
religion and public life by the
Pew Research Center
stated that in 2010, 49.3 percent of Nigeria's population was
Christian, 48.8 percent was Muslim, and 1.9 percent were followers of
indigenous and other religions, or unaffiliated.
[159] Additionally, the 2010s census of
Association of Religion Data Archives
has reported that 46.5 percent of the total population is Christian,
slightly bigger than the Muslim population of 45.5 percent, and that
7.7 percent are members of other religious groups.
[160]
The 2010 census of
Association of Religion Data Archives
has also reported that 46.5% of the total population was Christian,
slightly larger than the Muslim population of 45.5%, while 7.7% were
members of other religions.
[160]
However, these estimates should be taken with caution because sample
data is mostly collected from major urban areas in the south, which are
predominantly
Christian.
[161][162][163]
Among Christians, the Pew Research survey found that 74% were
Protestant, 25% were
Catholic, and 1% belonged to other Christian denominations, including a small
Orthodox Christian community.
[164] In terms of Nigeria's major ethnic groups, the
Hausa ethnic group (predominant in the north) was found to be 95% Muslim and 5% Christian, the
Yoruba tribe (predominant in the west) was 55% Muslim, 35% Christian and 10% adherents of other religions, while the
Igbos (predominant in the east) and the
Ijaw (south) were 98% Christian, with 2% practising traditional religions.
[165] The
middle belt
of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in
Nigeria, who were found to be mostly Christians and members of
traditional religions, with a small proportion of Muslims.
[166][167]
Leading Protestant churches in the country include the
Church of Nigeria of the
Anglican Communion, the
Assemblies of God Church, the
Nigerian Baptist Convention and
The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations Since the 1990s, there has been significant growth in many other churches, particularly the
evangelical Protestant ones. These include the
Redeemed Christian Church of God,
Winners' Chapel,
Christ Apostolic Church (the first Aladura Movement in Nigeria),
Deeper Christian Life Ministry,
Evangelical Church of West Africa,
Mountain of Fire and Miracles,
Christ Embassy and The Synagogue Church Of All Nations. In addition,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the
Aladura Church, the
Seventh-day Adventist and various indigenous churches have also experienced growth.
[168][169]
The Yoruba area contains a large
Anglican population, while
Igboland is predominantly Roman Catholic and the
Edo area is composed predominantly of members of the
Pentecostal Assemblies of God, which was introduced into Nigeria by Augustus Ehurie Wogu and his associates at Old Umuahia.
Further, Nigeria has become an African hub for the
Grail Movement and the
Hare Krishnas,
[170] and the largest temple of the
Eckankar religion is in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with a total capacity of 10,000.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) announced creation of new Owerri mission in Nigeria in 2016.
[171]
Health
A hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital
Health care delivery in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three
tiers of
government in the country, and the private sector.
[172] Nigeria has been reorganising its health system since the
Bamako Initiative
of 1987, which formally promoted community-based methods of increasing
accessibility of drugs and health care services to the population, in
part by implementing user fees.
[173]
The new strategy dramatically increased accessibility through
community-based healthcare reform, resulting in more efficient and
equitable provision of services. A comprehensive approach strategy was
extended to all areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the
health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and
cost.
[174]
HIV/AIDS rate in Nigeria is much lower compared to the other African nations such as
Kenya or South Africa whose prevalence (percentage) rates are in the double digits. As of 2012, the
HIV prevalence rate among adults ages 15–49 was just 3.1 percent.
[175][176] As of 2014,
life expectancy in Nigeria is 52.62 years on average according to CIA,
[177] and just over half the population have access to potable water and appropriate
sanitation; As of 2010, the Infant mortality is 8.4 deaths per 1000
live births.
[178]
New HIV infections each year, and AIDS deaths occurring during the year in Nigeria.
Nigeria was the only country in Africa to have never eradicated
polio, which it periodically exported to other African countries;
[179]
Polio was cut 98% between 2009 and 2010. However, a major breakthrough
came in December 2014, when it was reported that Nigeria hadn't recorded
a polio case in 6 months, and was on its way to being declared Polio
free.
[180][181] In 2012, a new bone marrow donor program was launched by the
University of Nigeria to help people with
leukaemia,
lymphoma, or
sickle cell disease to find a compatible donor for a life-saving
bone marrow transplant, which cures them of their conditions. Nigeria became the second African country to have successfully carried out this surgery.
[182] In the
2014 ebola outbreak,
Nigeria was the first country to effectively contain and eliminate the
Ebola threat that was ravaging three other countries in the West African
region, the Nigerian unique method of contact tracing employed by
Nigeria became an effective method later used by countries such as the
United States, when ebola threats were discovered.
[183][184][185]
The Nigerian health care system is continuously faced with a shortage of doctors known as '
brain drain',
because of emigration by skilled Nigerian doctors to North America and
Europe. In 1995, it was estimated that 21,000 Nigerian doctors were
practising in the United States alone, which is about the same as the
number of doctors working in the Nigerian public service. Retaining
these expensively trained professionals has been identified as one of
the goals of the government.
[186]
