Economy · Urban population · Nigeria
Nigeria’s urban population rose to 63.8% of population in 2025.
63.8% of population
2025
Up 0.8 pp from 2024.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
63.8% of population
What it is. Urban population is the share of a country's residents who live in places classed as urban. Each country sets its own definition of urban, usually based on settlement size, density or administrative status, so the line between town and village differs from place to place. The measure covers where people live and says nothing about incomes, jobs or the quality of housing in those places.
Neither way is good in itself. A higher share means more people have moved into towns and cities, which can bring larger job markets and easier access to services, along with pressure on housing, transport and water. A lower share means a more rural population with different needs. The latest figure is 63.8% of population in January 2025, up from 63% of population a year earlier, a rise of 0.8 percentage points. Since 2016 the share has ranged from 56.5% of population in 2016 to 63.8% of population in 2025, so the latest reading is the highest in that span.
Why it matters. With 63.8% of population living in urban areas, demand for housing, power, water and public transport in Nigeria's cities keeps growing. Firms gain bigger local markets and deeper pools of workers. City and state governments face the task of building roads, drainage and services for a growing urban population.
| Period | Urban population · Nigeria |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 56.5% of population |
| 2017 | 57.3% of population |
| 2018 | 58.2% of population |
| 2019 | 59% of population |
| 2020 | 59.8% of population |
| 2021 | 60.6% of population |
| 2022 | 61.4% of population |
| 2023 | 62.2% of population |
| 2024 | 63% of population |
| 2025 | 63.8% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Urban population, Nigeria, 2025; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/urban-population/nigeria
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Methodology
Share of the population living in urban areas. Unit: % of population.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.