Population by labor force status in Nigeria

Nigeria: Population by labor force status was 96.25 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
96.25 million people
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
3rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
96.25 million people
in 2025
All-time low
45.05 million people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status in Nigeria, 1991–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M1991200820251991: 45.1M people1992: 46.1M people1993: 47.1M people1994: 48.1M people1995: 49.2M people1996: 50.3M people1997: 51.5M people1998: 52.6M people1999: 53.9M people2000: 55.3M people2001: 56.8M people2002: 58.4M people2003: 60.2M people2004: 61.9M people2005: 63.8M people2006: 65.7M people2007: 67.7M people2008: 69.8M people2009: 71.9M people2010: 74.0M people2011: 76.2M people2012: 78.3M people2013: 80.5M people2014: 82.6M people2015: 84.5M people2016: 86.3M people2017: 87.9M people2018: 89.3M people2019: 90.6M people2020: 91.6M people2021: 92.6M people2022: 93.6M people2023: 94.6M people2024: 95.4M people2025: 96.2M people

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for population by labor force status in Nigeria is 96.25 million people, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Nigeria peaked at 96.25 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 45.05 million people, in 1991.

Nigeria ranks 3rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 49.32 million people 45.05 million people 53.89 million people 9
2000s 63.15 million people 55.28 million people 71.89 million people 10
2010s 83.01 million people 74.02 million people 90.55 million people 10
2020s 94.02 million people 91.65 million people 96.25 million people 6

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 India 354.19 million people compare
  2. 2 China 218.18 million people compare
  3. 4 Pakistan 92.50 million people compare
  4. 5 Indonesia 69.28 million people compare
  5. 6 United States 59.38 million people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status in Nigeria?
Population by labor force status in Nigeria was 96.25 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 96.25 million people in 2025.
What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 45.05 million people in 1991.
How does Nigeria rank for population by labor force status?
Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Population below working age (under 15 years old).