Nigeria is one of the largest and one of the most interesting countries on the African continent. The indigenous population of Nigeria is about 250 nationalities! It is such ethnic diversity that attracts the bulk of tourists to this country. What is the density and population of Nigeria? You will learn about this from our article.
Nigeria is Africa's largest country
Nigeria is a federal republic located in the equatorial belt of the mainland. The climate of the country is characterized by high humidity, as well as average annual temperature indicators. The state has direct access to the Atlantic Ocean (to its Gulf of Guinea).
The country is the most populated in Africa. Moreover, the population of Nigeria is growing rapidly. Nigeria is a multinational and multilingual country. Even in neighboring villages, they can speak different local dialects. Nigeria is also characterized by religious diversity. So, about 40% of the country's population consider themselves Muslims, 40% - Christians, and another 20% are adherents of various local beliefs.
Nigeria: country's population (key statistics)
The demographic situation of this country is characterized by high mortality rates. But at the same time, Nigeria is also characterized by very high birth rates. As a result, the dynamics of the population is positive.
Every year, the population of Nigeria is increasing by an average of one million people. Every day around 9,000 babies are born in the country.
The demographic situation in Nigeria is complicated by a number of acute and urgent problems. So, the country is characterized by high rates of infant as well as maternal mortality. According to statistics, about 5-6 percent of the population of Nigeria is infected with the HIV virus. The average life expectancy in the country is not high and is 47 years.
One of the indicators that determine the country's economic well-being is the size of the gross domestic product (GDP per capita). Nigeria in the ranking of countries for this indicator is not the worst position. So, as of 2015, per capita GDP here is about 900 US dollars. For countries in Africa, this is a fairly high figure. It is worth recalling that the state economy is based on the oil industry (Nigeria is one of the leaders in oil production in Africa).
Nigeria population dynamics by years
The population of Nigeria is growing rapidly every year. Data on how it has changed over the past 50 years are presented in the table below.
Nigeria population dynamics from 1965 to 2015| Year | The number of inhabitants of the country in million people |
| 1965 | 50,2 |
| 1970 | 56.1 |
| 1975 | 63.6 |
| 1980 | 73.7 |
| 1985 | 83.9 |
| 1990 | 95.6 |
| 1995 | 108,4 |
| 2000 | 122.8 |
| 2005 | 139.6 |
| 2010 | 159.7 |
| 2015 | 170.1 |
As can be seen from the table, the most active population growth in Nigeria began around the end of the last millennium. As of April 2015, the Nigeria population counter has stopped at around 174.5 million people. And this figure, according to the forecasts of demographers, will continue to increase rapidly in the coming years.
Nigeria population density
The average population density of Nigeria is 188 people / km 2 . This is a fairly high figure not only for Africa, but for the whole world.
Nigeria's population density is very different across the country. So, its maximum indicators are characteristic of the so-called coastal states, which have access to the ocean. For comparison: in the state of Taraba, which is located in the interior of the country, the population density is about 40 people / km 2 , but in the state of Lagos on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, this figure exceeds 2000 people / km 2 .
In general, the entire southeast of Nigeria has a high population density. In the southwestern part of the country, it is slightly lower. But the northern and central states are characterized by an extremely low degree of population. The only exception in the north of the country can be considered the state of Kano, where the population density in some areas reaches 600 people / km 2 .
The strip of the poorest land population in Nigeria starts from the state of Quara, runs along the valley of the Niger River and ends on the territory of the state of Borno.
Level of urbanization and the largest cities of Nigeria
The population of Nigeria (for the most part) lives in rural areas. Citizens make up about 40 percent. The leaders in urbanization remain states in southwestern Nigeria. The main and largest cities of the state include Abuja, Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Zaria, Ivo, Kano and others.
Abuja is a city in the center of the country, which is its modern capital (since 1991). The capital was moved to this small village by decision of a special commission, as part of the implementation of regional policies in the country. Abuja has been preparing for her new role for a long time. About 15 years (from 1976 to 1991), the reconstruction of the city continued.
Today, over 1 million people live here. The area around Abuja is distinguished by ethnic and religious neutrality. This moment was taken into account by the authorities of Nigeria when choosing a place for the new state capital.
Today, the infrastructure of the city is developing rapidly. An international airport is already operating in Abuja; hotels and administrative buildings are under construction. Several other highways connect Abuju with other major cities in Nigeria.
Lagos is the former capital of Nigeria. Nevertheless, this settlement continues to be the largest not only in its own country, but throughout Africa. Today, about 13 million people live directly in the city, and within the urban agglomeration of Lagos - at least 20 million.
The name of this subject was given by the Portuguese colonists. "Lagos" in translation from Portuguese means "lake". Before European colonization, the city was called Eco, which means "camp".
Lagos is a city of striking contrasts. Here you can see the poor areas - slums, and business districts with dozens of modern high-rise buildings. In Lagos, about 50% of the total industrial production of Nigeria is concentrated. This is the most important financial, scientific and cultural center throughout West Africa.
Ethnic Diversity
In Nigeria, there are at least 250 ethnic groups, each of which has retained its own dialect and cultural traditions. However, only ten of them are the most numerical.
In the northern states of Nigeria, these are the people of Fulbe, Tiv, Hausa and Canuri. Representatives of the Hausa people are militant, but fulbe, on the contrary, is very liberal and conservative. Almost all representatives of these nationalities profess Islam, except for the tiv, who consider themselves Christians.
Other ethnic groups live in the eastern part of the country. Basically it is for, Ijo and ibibio-efik. They all live in small villages headed by their elders. Also interesting is such a people of Nigeria as the Yoruba. He managed to preserve his traditions, folk music and vibrant religious rites.
Religious Diversity
In addition to Christianity and Islam, numerous local beliefs and religions are also common in Nigeria. Among them are fetishism, animalism and the cult of ancestors. The most interesting and distinctive religious belief in Nigeria is the Yoruba cult system.
Adherents of Islam are concentrated, as a rule, in the northern regions of the country, and Christians - in the southern as well as eastern. The modern religious picture of the country is characterized by rather sharp competition between these two faiths.
Conclusion
Nigeria is one of the most densely populated countries on the planet. On the African continent, this country is the absolute leader in terms of the number of inhabitants. The population of Nigeria today is over 170 million people and continues to increase.
Nigeria is a state characterized by significant linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity. Apparently, this is precisely what attracts tourists to the country who crave exotic and adventure.