Story from Kenneth AFOR, Lagos
Nigeria’s estimated population according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is now 211.4 million.
This was disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital in a report launched by Ulla Muella, UNFPA country’s representative; Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen and Nasir Kwara, chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC).
The agency also estimated that the life expectancy for Nigerian men is 54 years and that of women, 56 years.
In 2020, the UN estimated Nigeria’s population to be 206.1 million and put the life expectancy at 55 years.
The new figures are in the UNFPA’s ‘State of the World Population 2021 report.
According to the report, Nigeria’s population increased by 2.6 per cent from 2015 to 2021.
It further stated that Nigerians aged 15-64 are of the highest population in the country, making up 53.9 per cent, followed by those aged 0-14 with 43.3 per cent and those aged 10-24, 32 per cent.
It said Nigerians aged 10-19 make up 23.2 per cent of the population, while those aged 65 and above are just 2.8 per cent of the population.
In December 2020, the NPC announced that Nigeria’s population is estimated to be 206 million.
Speaking on Tuesday at another engagement, Kwarra, who was represented by Abubakar Danburam, the NPC federal commissioner in Gombe State, said a population census may be conducted in 2022.
The NPC chairman said the commission has so far completed demarcation in over 600 Local Government Areas out of the 774 in the country and will suggest a census to President Muhammadu Buhari once the process is complete.
“It is within the purview of the President; we can’t precisely say this is the date. However, we are embarking on pre-census activities,” he said.
“These are the efforts we are making in view of the fact that census is absolutely necessary. We are on the verge of completing pre census, maybe in the next one year. We will suggest a date to Mr President and we are targeting maybe 2022.”
The last population census in Nigeria was conducted in 2006 during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and it was put at 142.5 million.
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