Share of the population that is female in Nigeria

Nigeria: Share of the population that is female was 49.4% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
49.4%
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
175th
of 215 countries
All-time high
50.7%
in 1969
All-time low
49.4%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Share of the population that is female in Nigeria, 1960–2025

0204060196019922025

Source: United Nations Population Division and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of the population that is female in Nigeria is 49.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population that is female in Nigeria peaked at 50.7% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 49.4%, in 2025.

That places Nigeria 175th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 50.6% 50.5% 50.7% 10
1970s 50.6% 50.5% 50.7% 10
1980s 50.4% 50.2% 50.5% 10
1990s 50.1% 50.0% 50.2% 10
2000s 49.8% 49.7% 49.9% 10
2010s 49.6% 49.5% 49.7% 10
2020s 49.4% 49.4% 49.5% 6

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 172 Egypt 49.5% compare
  2. 173 Afghanistan 49.5% compare
  3. 174 French Polynesia 49.5% compare
  4. 176 Guam 49.4% compare
  5. 177 Yemen 49.3% compare
  6. 178 Pakistan 49.3% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More gender data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population that is female in Nigeria?
Share of the population that is female in Nigeria was 49.4% in 2025, according to United Nations Population Division and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of the population that is female recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 50.7% in 1969.
What is the lowest share of the population that is female recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 49.4% in 2025.
How does Nigeria rank for share of the population that is female?
Nigeria ranks 175th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of the population that is female rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Population Division and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population that is female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of the population that is female
Unit
% of total
Source
United Nations Population Division and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 14,190 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed