Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Nigeria

Population in cities over 1 million in Nigeria in 2025 — 41,753,061 people. Ranked 8 in the world out of 121. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 1,846.1%.

2025 41.75M people +3.85% vs 2024
World rank 8of 121
Period maximum 41.75M people2025
Period minimum 2.15M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Nigeria, 1960–2025020M40M60M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 2,145,512 people1962: 2,483,438 people1964: 2,838,869 people1966: 3,144,274 people1968: 3,487,727 people1970: 3,873,599 people1972: 4,343,653 people1974: 4,907,942 people1976: 5,553,761 people1978: 6,291,783 people1980: 7,138,570 people1982: 8,108,708 people1984: 9,061,683 people1986: 9,961,849 people1988: 10,970,275 people1990: 12,098,458 people1992: 13,164,493 people1994: 14,096,483 people1996: 15,110,020 people1998: 16,210,812 people2000: 17,411,511 people2002: 18,719,576 people2004: 20,151,142 people2006: 21,684,206 people2008: 23,144,369 people2010: 24,715,331 people2012: 26,411,374 people2014: 28,238,744 people2016: 30,213,092 people2018: 32,346,402 people2020: 34,689,725 people2022: 37,306,530 people2024: 40,206,132 people2025: 41,753,061 people
Change over the period: +39.61M (+1,846.07%) Average annual rate: 4.67 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Nigeria

Nigeria 41.75M people
World computed 2.01B people
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 204M people
Western Africa computed 75.71M people
Lower-middle-income countries computed 574M people
Population in cities over 1 million — Nigeria, by year Nigeria All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 41.75M +1.55M +3.85%
2024 40.21M +1.48M +3.83%
2023 38.72M +1.42M +3.8%
2022 37.31M +1.34M +3.74%
2021 35.96M +1.27M +3.67%
2020 34.69M +1.2M +3.59%
2019 33.49M +1.14M +3.53%
2018 32.35M +1.09M +3.48%
2017 31.26M +1.05M +3.46%
2016 30.21M +1.01M +3.45%
2015 29.21M +968,158 +3.43%
2014 28.24M +931,734 +3.41%
2013 27.31M +895,636 +3.39%
2012 26.41M +864,641 +3.38%
2011 25.55M +831,402 +3.36%
2010 24.72M +800,712 +3.35%
2009 23.91M +770,250 +3.33%
2008 23.14M +744,127 +3.32%
2007 22.4M +716,036 +3.3%
2006 21.68M +768,886 +3.68%
2005 20.92M +764,178 +3.79%
2004 20.15M +732,338 +3.77%
2003 19.42M +699,228 +3.74%
2002 18.72M +668,852 +3.71%
2001 18.05M +639,213 +3.67%
2000 17.41M +613,720 +3.65%
1999 16.8M +586,979 +3.62%
1998 16.21M +562,420 +3.59%
1997 15.65M +538,372 +3.56%
1996 15.11M +517,665 +3.55%
1995 14.59M +495,872 +3.52%
1994 14.1M +475,837 +3.49%
1993 13.62M +456,153 +3.47%
1992 13.16M +501,478 +3.96%
1991 12.66M +564,557 +4.67%
1990 12.1M +580,580 +5.04%
1989 11.52M +547,603 +4.99%
1988 10.97M +518,795 +4.96%
1987 10.45M +489,631 +4.92%
1986 9.96M +462,925 +4.87%
1985 9.5M +437,241 +4.83%
1984 9.06M +414,826 +4.8%
1983 8.65M +538,149 +6.64%
1982 8.11M +502,117 +6.6%
1981 7.61M +468,021 +6.56%
1980 7.14M +438,161 +6.54%
1979 6.7M +408,626 +6.49%
1978 6.29M +381,747 +6.46%
1977 5.91M +356,275 +6.42%
1976 5.55M +333,969 +6.4%
1975 5.22M +311,850 +6.35%
1974 4.91M +291,707 +6.32%
1973 4.62M +272,582 +6.28%
1972 4.34M +255,839 +6.26%
1971 4.09M +214,215 +5.53%
1970 3.87M +198,792 +5.41%
1969 3.67M +187,080 +5.36%
1968 3.49M +176,866 +5.34%
1967 3.31M +166,587 +5.3%
1966 3.14M +157,197 +5.26%
1965 2.99M +148,208 +5.22%
1964 2.84M +163,326 +6.1%
1963 2.68M +192,105 +7.74%
1962 2.48M +176,281 +7.64%
1961 2.31M +161,645 +7.53%
1960 2.15M

About the indicator

The population of urban agglomerations with more than one million residents. The unit of count is the agglomeration, not the city within its administrative boundaries, and that is essential: along administrative lines many of the largest concentrations of people break up into dozens of municipalities. The indicator measures not urbanization as such but its concentration in large centers — a country can be highly urbanized without a single million-plus city.

Important: The table covers about 120 territories — the rest have no agglomerations of this size, and that is a zero, not a gap. Aggregates for groups of countries are therefore calculated at a lowered coverage threshold.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.