Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 43.76 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria is 43.76 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 61.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria peaked at 43.76 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1950.
Nigeria ranks 9th of 182 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0 people | — |
| 1955 | 0 people | — |
| 1960 | 1.25 million people | — |
| 1965 | 1.69 million people | +34.9% |
| 1970 | 2.01 million people | +19.0% |
| 1975 | 2.61 million people | +30.2% |
| 1980 | 6.66 million people | +154.8% |
| 1985 | 8.81 million people | +32.3% |
| 1990 | 11.02 million people | +25.1% |
| 1995 | 13.01 million people | +18.0% |
| 2000 | 18.57 million people | +42.8% |
| 2005 | 21.61 million people | +16.3% |
| 2010 | 27.15 million people | +25.7% |
| 2015 | 36.67 million people | +35.0% |
| 2020 | 43.76 million people | +19.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 43.76 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.42 million people, 18.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 43.76 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.88 million people, 23.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +154.8% | 2.61 million people | 6.66 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.47 million people | 1.25 million people | 1.69 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.31 million people | 2.01 million people | 2.61 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 7.73 million people | 6.66 million people | 8.81 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.02 million people | 11.02 million people | 13.01 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.09 million people | 18.57 million people | 21.61 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 31.91 million people | 27.15 million people | 36.67 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 43.76 million people | 43.76 million people | 43.76 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
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 number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Nigeria was 43.76 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 43.76 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1950.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Nigeria ranks 9th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.