Nigeria's population soars, but GDP has faced significant fluctuations from 1960 to 2023

Nigeria’s population growth has outpaced its economic performance. From 1960 to 2023, the population increased from 44.9 million to an estimated 223.8 million, putting immense pressure on resources.

The country's GDP peaked at $574.2 billion in 2014 but dropped to $362.8 billion in 2023.

Source:

World Bank

Period:

1960 - 2023
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Africa’s under-15 population: 16 of every 100 people aged 0–14 across 54 African countries lived in Nigeria in 2025
  • Nigeria had 96.25 million children aged 0–14 in 2025, the largest child population in Africa.
  • 16% of Africa’s children lived in Nigeria, or roughly 1 in every 6.
  • Ethiopia and DR Congo followed with 52.54 million and 51.85 million children respectively.
  • Africa’s 10 largest child populations accounted for 60.9% of the continent’s 600.17 million children.

Africa’s under-15 population: nearly half the population of the Central African Republic is under 15
  • Central African Republic had Africa’s highest 0–14 population share at 48.7%.
  • Somalia, Niger, Chad and DR Congo followed, all with at least 45.9% of their populations aged 0–14.
  • DR Congo had Africa’s largest 0–14 population at 51.85 million, despite ranking fifth by share.
  • Children aged 0–14 made up 38.8% of Africa’s population, versus 40.5% in Nigeria.

Arts & entertainment recorded the highest GDP growth in H1 2026
  • Nigeria’s economy grew 4.16% in H1 2026, but growth was uneven across sectors.
  • Arts and entertainment grew fastest at 11.5%, followed by water and waste management (10.9%) and information and communication (10.3%).
  • Agriculture, which accounts for about a quarter of GDP, grew 3.8%, below the headline rate.
  • Trade and real estate also lagged, growing 2.2% and 3.0%, respectively.
  • Electricity and gas was the biggest drag, contracting 11.6%, while Other Services fell 1.4%.

Year-on-year change in Nigeria's electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply GDP
  • Electricity, gas and related supply was Nigeria’s worst-performing broad economic activity in H1 2026.
  • Sector GDP fell 11.6% year-on-year, from ₦800.2bn to ₦707.1bn.
  • Output fell below H1 2024 levels, when the sector recorded ₦708.5bn.
  • Only one other broad activity contracted: Other Services, which fell 1.4%.
  • The sector contributed just 0.7% of Nigeria’s real GDP on average over the period shown.

Ethiopia achieved Africa’s fastest growth in real GDP per person over the 25 years to 2025
  • Ethiopia recorded Africa's fastest real GDP per capita growth between 2000 and 2025.
  • Rwanda ranked second, while Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Djibouti completed the top five.
  • Ethiopia's real GDP per capita rose 322%, from $910 to $3,843.
  • Mauritius recorded Africa's largest absolute gain in real GDP per capita.
  • Nigeria ranked 15th, with real GDP per capita increasing 76.7%.

Twelve African countries have gone at least a decade without completing a new population census
  • Twelve African countries have not completed a census in at least 10 years.
  • DR Congo (42 years) and Somalia (40 years) have Africa's oldest censuses.
  • Guinea-Bissau has completed a new census, while Cameroon and Chad are still counting.
  • Nigeria and DR Congo are preparing new censuses, but fieldwork has not begun.
  • South Sudan's census is disputed, while Eritrea is excluded from the ranking.

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