Nigeria is a large populous country, no wonder it’s referred to as the “Giant of Africa”. Interestingly, it is the largest African country and the largest ‘black country’ in the world.
The total Nigerian population is estimated to be 194 million in 2018, taking a whopping 15% of the entire African population which stands at 1.26 billion as at 2017, and 2.35% of the total world’s population.
There are three major ethnic groups in Nigeria; Yoruba in the south-west region, Ibo in the south-east region, and Hausa in the northern region of the country. These three ethnic groups make up 70% of the entire populace while the other ethnic groups comprise the remaining 30%.
The Nigerian population has grown from 37 million in 1950 to 171.8 million in 2013 and to 195 million in 2018. This is due to the large fertility rate among Nigerians. It has been predicted that by 2025, the Nigeria population would have increased to 300 million.
According to Nigeria Data Portal, the Nigeria population is constituted of 71.3 million males and 69.08 females in 2006. This year, 2018, Country Meters records 99 million males and 96.5 females. This same year, there has been 1.6 million births and over half a million deaths. There is an estimated average of 21,493 births per day as against an estimated average of 7,086 deaths per day.
Nigeria is an indeed blessed country. Going by the estimations above, there is at least one Nigerian in every ten African and every forty-three persons in the world.
