Male population by age group in Nigeria

Nigeria: Male population by age group was 16.97 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
16.97 million people
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
3rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
16.97 million people
in 2023
All-time low
3.16 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Male population by age group in Nigeria, 1950–2023

5.0M10.0M15.0M195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 16.97 million people for male population by age group in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, male population by age group in Nigeria peaked at 16.97 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.16 million people, in 1950.

Nigeria ranks 3rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Male population by age group in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Male population by age group in Nigeria, 1950 to 2023.
Year people Change
1950 3.16 million people —
1951 3.17 million people +0.4%
1952 3.20 million people +0.8%
1953 3.25 million people +1.7%
1954 3.33 million people +2.5%
1955 3.41 million people +2.4%
1956 3.49 million people +2.2%
1957 3.57 million people +2.3%
1958 3.65 million people +2.3%
1959 3.74 million people +2.3%
1960 3.82 million people +2.4%
1961 3.92 million people +2.4%
1962 4.01 million people +2.5%
1963 4.11 million people +2.5%
1964 4.22 million people +2.6%
1965 4.33 million people +2.6%
1966 4.44 million people +2.6%
1967 4.56 million people +2.6%
1968 4.69 million people +2.7%
1969 4.82 million people +2.9%
1970 4.96 million people +3.0%
1971 5.12 million people +3.1%
1972 5.28 million people +3.2%
1973 5.46 million people +3.3%
1974 5.65 million people +3.5%
1975 5.86 million people +3.7%
1976 6.09 million people +3.9%
1977 6.34 million people +4.1%
1978 6.60 million people +4.1%
1979 6.85 million people +3.9%
1980 7.09 million people +3.5%
1981 7.31 million people +3.1%
1982 7.52 million people +2.8%
1983 7.69 million people +2.3%
1984 7.85 million people +2.0%
1985 8.01 million people +2.1%
1986 8.16 million people +1.9%
1987 8.30 million people +1.7%
1988 8.44 million people +1.7%
1989 8.60 million people +1.9%
1990 8.78 million people +2.1%
1991 8.98 million people +2.2%
1992 9.19 million people +2.4%
1993 9.42 million people +2.5%
1994 9.65 million people +2.5%
1995 9.90 million people +2.5%
1996 10.16 million people +2.6%
1997 10.42 million people +2.6%
1998 10.68 million people +2.5%
1999 10.95 million people +2.6%
2000 11.26 million people +2.8%
2001 11.61 million people +3.1%
2002 11.98 million people +3.2%
2003 12.38 million people +3.3%
2004 12.78 million people +3.3%
2005 13.17 million people +3.0%
2006 13.55 million people +2.9%
2007 13.92 million people +2.8%
2008 14.30 million people +2.7%
2009 14.69 million people +2.7%
2010 15.06 million people +2.6%
2011 15.43 million people +2.4%
2012 15.78 million people +2.3%
2013 16.09 million people +2.0%
2014 16.36 million people +1.7%
2015 16.59 million people +1.4%
2016 16.75 million people +1.0%
2017 16.85 million people +0.6%
2018 16.90 million people +0.3%
2019 16.90 million people -0.0%
2020 16.85 million people -0.3%
2021 16.83 million people -0.1%
2022 16.87 million people +0.2%
2023 16.97 million people +0.6%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 16.97 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 636,684 people, 26.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 16.97 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.11 million people, 15.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3.40 million people 3.16 million people 3.74 million people 10
1960s 4.29 million people 3.82 million people 4.82 million people 10
1970s 5.82 million people 4.96 million people 6.85 million people 10
1980s 7.90 million people 7.09 million people 8.60 million people 10
1990s 9.81 million people 8.78 million people 10.95 million people 10
2000s 12.96 million people 11.26 million people 14.69 million people 10
2010s 16.27 million people 15.06 million people 16.90 million people 10
2020s 16.88 million people 16.83 million people 16.97 million people 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 India 59.50 million people compare
  2. 2 China 30.65 million people compare
  3. 4 Pakistan 16.26 million people compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 11.48 million people compare
  5. 6 Ethiopia 9.74 million people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More gender data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is male population by age group in Nigeria?
Male population by age group in Nigeria was 16.97 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest male population by age group recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 16.97 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest male population by age group recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 3.16 million people in 1950.
How does Nigeria rank for male population by age group?
Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is male population by age group rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Male population by age group. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Male population by age group in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 November 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/male-population-by-age-group/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Male population by age group
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes men aged 0-4.