The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accounts for approximately one-quarter of West Africa's people. Although less than 25% of Nigerians are urban dwellers, at least 24 cities have populations of more than 100,000. The variety of customs, languages, and traditions among Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups gives the country a rich diversity. The dominant ethnic group in the northern two-thirds of the country is the Hausa-Fulani, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim. Other major ethnic groups of the north are the Nupe, Tiv, and Kanuri.
The Yoruba people are predominant in the southwest. Over half of the Yorubas are Christian and about a quarter are Muslim, with the remainder following mostly traditional beliefs. The predominantly Christian Igbo are the largest ethnic group in the southeast. Roman Catholics are the largest denomination, but Pentecostal and other Evangelical denominations are also strong. The Efik, Ibibio, and Ijaw (the country's fourth-largest ethnic group) communities also comprise a substantial segment of the population in that area. Persons of different language backgrounds most commonly communicate in English, although knowledge of two or more Nigerian languages is widespread. Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo are the most widely used Nigerian languages.
Population:
123,337,822
note:
estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
44% (male 27,181,020; female 26,872,317)
15-64 years:
53% (male 33,495,794; female 32,337,193)
65 years and over:
3% (male 1,729,149; female 1,722,349) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.67% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 40.16 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 13.72 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
1 male(s)/female
total population:
1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 74.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
51.56 years
male:
51.58 years
female:
51.55 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.66 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Nigerian(s)
adjective:
Nigerian
Ethnic groups: Nigeria, which is Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%
Religions (2000 estimate): (The figures below are controversial, and come from a Christian source (Operation World, 2000, by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk. For political reasons, no religious question has been includeded in any census since 1963, the results of which were widely disputed. Moslems and Christians both claim to be in the majority).
- Christian: 52.6%. Mostly in the South and in the so-called Middle Belt.
- Protestant/Anglican: 26%;
- African Christian: 18.25%;
- Catholic 13.45%;
- Marginal Christian/Unaffiliated Christian 2.1%.
- Muslim: 41%. Almost all Sunni. Predominantly in the North; about 25 percent of the population in the South West.
- Indigenous beliefs: 6%
- Non-religious/Other: 0.4%. Mostly urban intellectuals.
Languages: English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
57.1%
male:
67.3%
female:
47.3% (1995 est.)
- See also : Nigeria
