Nigeria: The number of people in need of humanitarian aid over the past 5 years

With a population of over 200M people, 7.7 million were in need of humanitarian aid as of 2020. This figure has since increased, requiring the sum of $1.01bn to meet their needs. Here’s the trend of Nigerians in need of humanitarian aid over the last 5 years.

Source:

Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission

Period:

2016 - 2021
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Nigeria's age dependency ratio for the young dominates that of the old, on average, at 14:1
  • The young-to-old dependency ratio stands at 14:1, showing that youth dependency overwhelmingly drives the total ratio.
  • The total dependency ratio declined from 88.2% in 1976 to 78.8% in 2024, showing slow but steady improvement.
  • The youth dependency ratio has dropped from 82.2% to 73.3% over the same period.
  • The old-age dependency ratio remained almost flat, averaging around 5–6% for nearly 50 years.
  • The highest total dependency ratio was 95.0% in 1988.
  • The ratio’s slight downward trend after 2012 reflects a growing working-age population entering the labour market.
Six of the ten countries with the lowest share of older populations are in Africa
  • Qatar has the lowest share of seniors, with only 1.7% of its population aged 65+.
  • The UAE follows closely at 1.8%.
  • Zambia has 2.0% of its population aged 65 and above, totalling about 438,000 people.
  • Uganda, Chad, and the Central African Republic each have a senior population of around 2.1–2.2%, with totals exceeding 1 million seniors.
  • Qatar also has the smallest absolute number of seniors on the list—just 53,000 people.
  • Nigeria has 7.3 million seniors that represent only 3.1% of its population, ranking 25th worldwide.
At 38 years, Mauritius has the oldest median age among African countries
  • Mauritius, with a median age of 38 years, has the oldest population in Africa.
  • The Central African Republic has the youngest population, with a median age of 14 years.
  • Nigeria’s median age of 18 years reflects the dominance of youth in its population.
  • Older populations tend to signal lower fertility rates.
  • Younger populations highlight higher fertility rates and greater demand for education and jobs.
Over the last 76 years, Africa's population has increased from being less than half (228M) that of Europe to doubling Europe (1.6B)
  • Africa’s population grew by 580.4%, from 228M in 1950 to 1.6B in 2025, making it the fastest-growing continent.
  • Asia remains the most populated continent, reaching 4.8B people in 2025, up from 1.4B in 1950.
  • Europe’s growth has been the slowest, at just 35.6%, rising from 549M to 744M.
  • Latin America & the Caribbean grew by 298%, from 168M to 668M.
  • North America more than doubled its population, growing by 130.7% from 168M to 388M.
  • Oceania saw a 270% increase, though it remains the least populated continent at 47M people.
  • Africa’s population is now more than double Europe’s, a major demographic shift compared to 1950.
The most populous country per region varies from Nigeria's 238M to South Africa's 65M
  • Nigeria leads Africa with 238 million people in July 2025.
  • Namibia, though the second largest in the South, has only 3 million people.
  • In Eastern Africa, Ethiopia (135M) and Tanzania (71M) dominate.
  • Egypt (118M) and Sudan (52M) are Northern Africa’s population leaders.
  • South Africa (65M) is Southern Africa’s most populous country, far ahead of Namibia.
  • In West Africa, Nigeria (238M) and Ghana (35M) are the most populous, showing a wide gap within the region.
Gabon's urban population share of 84% is the highest in Africa while Burundi (15%) has the lowest share
  • Gabon (84%) is Africa’s most urbanised country, while Burundi (15%) is the least.
  • Five of the top 10 urbanised African countries have an urban share above 75%.
  • Small island nations like Cabo Verde (79%) and Sao Tome & Principe (78%) rank highly, reflecting their concentrated settlements.
  • Resource-rich countries like Libya (78%), Botswana (76%), and Algeria (74%) show strong urbanisation patterns.
  • Ethiopia (23%) and Uganda (30%) highlight the urbanisation gap among high-population countries.
  • Nigeria sits at 55%, ranked 19th, reflecting moderate urbanisation compared to other African giants.
  • Most of the bottom 10 countries, such as Malawi (20%), Niger (18%), and Rwanda (18%), are still heavily rural, signalling slower urban development.
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