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Nigeria's largest cities, 1975 to 2050

Lagos is Nigeria's largest city at about 12.8 million in 2025, up from 2.6 million in 1975, and is projected to reach 16.2 million by 2050.

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What the data shows

  • In 2025, Lagos ranks #1 with 12.8M, ahead of Onitsha (5.6M) and Kano (4.8M).
  • By 2050, on the UN's projections, Lagos is projected to rank #1 with 16.2M, ahead of Onitsha (8.7M) and Owerri (6.8M).
  • Lagos holds #1 for the whole period, 1975 to 2025.
  • Biggest climber: Owerri, from #14 in 1975 to #3 in 2050.
  • Lagos grew 4.9× between 1975 and 2025.

About this chart

Lagos grew nearly fivefold in fifty years. The UN counts about 2.61 million people in 1975 and about 12.79 million in 2025, and projects about 16.18 million by 2050. The ranking behind it has been reshuffled. In 1975 Ibadan, Kano and Onitsha were all close to 0.8 million. By 2025 Onitsha is second at about 5.63 million, Kano third at 4.84 million and Owerri fourth at 3.83 million.

Owerri is the fastest riser, from about 0.1 million in 1975 to 3.83 million in 2025. The UN projects it at 6.8 million in 2050, enough to pass Kano's 6.36 million. Because the UN counts contiguous dense areas, these figures differ from city-proper or metro counts, and some places rank higher than their official city size would suggest. Values after 2025 are projections.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.

Nigeria's largest cities, Population in millions, 1975 to 2050, 1975–2050
Date🇳🇬 Lagos🇳🇬 Onitsha🇳🇬 Kano🇳🇬 Owerri🇳🇬 Ibadan🇳🇬 Port Harcourt🇳🇬 Kaduna🇳🇬 Benin City🇳🇬 Warri🇳🇬 Uyo🇳🇬 Aba🇳🇬 Aboh🇳🇬 Abuja🇳🇬 Ilorin🇳🇬 Maiduguri🇳🇬 Enugu🇳🇬 Otite
19752.6M0.8M0.8M0.1M0.8M0.3M0.4M0.2M0.2M0.4M0.1M0.3M0.2M0.3M0.2M
19803.4M1.0M1.2M0.1M1.0M0.4M0.5M0.4M0.2M0.1M0.4M0.1M0.4M0.3M0.3M0.2M
19854.5M1.3M1.7M0.4M1.2M0.5M0.7M0.6M0.3M0.1M0.5M0.2M0.5M0.4M0.4M0.3M
19905.8M1.7M2.0M0.6M1.5M0.6M0.8M0.8M0.4M0.3M0.6M0.3M0.6M0.5M0.5M0.4M
19956.9M2.0M2.3M0.9M1.8M0.7M1.0M1.0M0.5M0.4M0.7M0.4M0.1M0.6M0.6M0.5M0.6M
20007.9M2.4M2.7M1.3M2.1M0.8M1.1M1.1M0.6M0.5M0.8M0.6M0.3M0.7M0.7M0.6M0.8M
20059.0M2.8M3.2M1.7M2.4M0.9M1.3M1.2M0.7M0.6M0.9M0.7M0.5M0.8M0.8M0.7M0.7M
201010.1M3.4M3.6M2.1M2.8M1.2M1.5M1.4M0.9M0.8M1.0M0.9M0.7M1.0M1.0M0.8M0.8M
201511.1M4.1M4.1M2.7M3.2M1.7M1.7M1.6M1.2M1.1M1.2M1.0M0.9M1.1M1.1M0.9M0.9M
202012.0M5.0M4.5M3.2M3.5M2.2M1.8M1.7M1.4M1.3M1.3M1.2M1.1M1.2M1.2M1.1M1.0M
202512.8M5.6M4.8M3.8M3.7M2.3M1.9M1.8M1.6M1.6M1.4M1.4M1.4M1.3M1.2M1.1M1.0M
203013.6M6.3M5.2M4.4M3.9M2.5M2.0M2.0M1.8M1.8M1.6M1.6M1.6M1.4M1.3M1.2M1.1M
203514.3M6.9M5.5M5.0M4.1M2.7M2.1M2.1M2.0M2.0M1.7M1.8M1.8M1.4M1.3M1.3M1.2M
204015.0M7.5M5.8M5.6M4.3M2.9M2.2M2.2M2.1M2.1M1.8M2.1M2.0M1.5M1.4M1.3M1.2M
204515.6M8.2M6.1M6.2M4.5M3.0M2.3M2.2M2.3M2.3M2.0M2.4M2.2M1.5M1.5M1.4M1.3M
205016.2M8.7M6.4M6.8M4.7M3.2M2.3M2.3M2.4M2.5M2.1M2.6M2.4M1.6M1.5M1.5M1.4M

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Frequently asked questions

What is the largest city in Nigeria?

In 2025, Lagos ranks #1 with 12.8M, followed by Onitsha (5.6M) and Kano (4.8M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).

What is the largest city in Nigeria?

Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria in 2025, with about 12.79 million people under the UN's Degree of Urbanization definition. Onitsha is second at about 5.63 million and Kano third at about 4.84 million.

How big will Lagos be in 2050?

The UN projects Lagos at about 16.18 million in 2050, up from about 12.79 million in 2025. That is a projection under a medium scenario, so the actual outcome could differ.

Why is Onitsha ranked above Kano and Ibadan?

The UN defines a city as a contiguous dense urban area, not an administrative boundary. Under that rule Onitsha is estimated at about 5.63 million in 2025, against 4.84 million for Kano and 3.72 million for Ibadan. A city-proper ranking could give a different order.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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