Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 80.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria stood at 80.6%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria peaked at 80.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 65.1%, in 1950.
That places Nigeria 79th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 65.1% | — |
| 1955 | 66.1% | +1.6% |
| 1960 | 67.2% | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 68.5% | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 69.9% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 71.6% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 71.9% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 72.7% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 73.8% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 75.5% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 77.0% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 78.3% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 79.6% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 80.5% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 80.6% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 65.6% | 65.1% | 66.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 67.9% | 67.2% | 68.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 70.8% | 69.9% | 71.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 72.3% | 71.9% | 72.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 74.6% | 73.8% | 75.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.7% | 77.0% | 78.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 80.0% | 79.6% | 80.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 80.6% | 80.6% | 80.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 76 Colombia 81.5% compare
- 77 Puerto Rico 80.9% compare
- 78 Brunei Darussalam 80.8% compare
- 80 San Marino 80.5% compare
- 81 Algeria 79.8% compare
- 82 Brazil 79.2% compare
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Nigeria was 80.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 80.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 65.1% in 1950.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Nigeria ranks 79th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.