Number of airline passengers per year in Nigeria

Nigeria: Number of airline passengers per year was 5.27 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.27 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
60th
of 183 countries
All-time high
7.79 million
in 2018
All-time low
173,000
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Number of airline passengers per year in Nigeria, 1970–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M197019962023

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, number of airline passengers per year in Nigeria stood at 5.27 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Nigeria peaked at 7.79 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 173,000, in 1970.

That places Nigeria 60th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 693,870 173,000 1.58 million 10
1980s 1.87 million 848,900 2.58 million 10
1990s 563,490 221,200 964,800 10
2000s 885,272 507,396 1.46 million 10
2010s 5.02 million 4.11 million 7.79 million 10
2020s 4.60 million 3.44 million 5.27 million 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 57 Denmark 6.43 million compare
  2. 58 Bahrain 5.73 million compare
  3. 59 Bolivia 5.60 million compare
  4. 61 Kenya 5.14 million compare
  5. 62 Uzbekistan 4.85 million compare
  6. 63 Ecuador 4.57 million compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of airline passengers per year in Nigeria?
Number of airline passengers per year in Nigeria was 5.27 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 7.79 million in 2018.
What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 173,000 in 1970.
How does Nigeria rank for number of airline passengers per year?
Nigeria ranks 60th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Number of airline passengers per year
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.