UN says Nigeria’s population has hit 211m with life expectancy at 54

By our reporter| The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has estimated Nigeria’s population to be 211.4 million.

The new figures contained in the UNFPA’s ‘State of the World Population 2021’, also estimated that the life expectancy for Nigerian men is 54 and that of women, 56.

The UN had estimated Nigeria’s population to be 206.1 million and put the life expectancy at 55 years in 2020.

The report was launched by Ulla Muella, UNFPA country representative; Pauline Tallen, minister of women affairs, and Nasir Kwara, chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC) in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the UNFPA report, Nigeria’s population increased by 2.6 percent from 2015 to 2021.

It also said Nigerians aged 15-64 are of the highest population in the country making up 53.9 percent, followed by those aged 0-14 with 43.3 percent and those aged 10-24, 32 percent.

It said Nigerians aged 10-19 make up 23.2 percent of the population while those aged 65 and above are just 2.8 percent of the population.

The last population census in Nigeria was conducted in 2006.