Nigeria: cities by population
Nigeria has a population of 195,874,740, with Abuja as its capital. The 50 largest of its 485 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are GeoNames country data. Sources & method.
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos | Lagos | 15,388,000 |
| 2 | Kano | Kano State | 4,910,000 |
| 3 | Ibadan | Oyo State | 3,649,000 |
| 4 | Abuja | FCT | 2,690,000 |
| 5 | Port Harcourt | Rivers State | 2,120,000 |
| 6 | Kaduna | Kaduna State | 1,850,000 |
| 7 | Benin City | Edo State | 1,782,000 |
| 8 | Onitsha | Anambra | 1,553,000 |
| 9 | Aba | Abia State | 1,160,000 |
| 10 | Maiduguri | Borno State | 1,110,000 |
| 11 | Ilorin | Kwara State | 1,080,000 |
| 12 | Sokoto | Sokoto | 1,040,000 |
| 13 | Jos | Plateau State | 1,040,000 |
| 14 | Zaria | Kaduna State | 980,000 |
| 15 | Enugu | Enugu State | 950,000 |
| 16 | Warri | Delta | 910,000 |
| 17 | Oyo | Oyo State | 736,072 |
| 18 | Abeokuta | Ogun State | 735,000 |
| 19 | Akure | Ondo State | 730,000 |
| 20 | Bauchi | Bauchi | 693,700 |
| 21 | Agege | Lagos | 683,600 |
| 22 | Katsina | Katsina State | 670,000 |
| 23 | Osogbo | Osun State | 645,000 |
| 24 | Ile-Ife | Osun State | 560,000 |
| 25 | Gombe | Gombe State | 560,000 |
| 26 | Ajegunle | Lagos | 550,000 |
| 27 | Owerri | Imo State | 545,000 |
| 28 | Calabar | Cross River State | 540,000 |
| 29 | Ebute Ikorodu | Lagos | 535,619 |
| 30 | Okene | Kogi State | 479,178 |
| 31 | Ikare | Ondo State | 465,000 |
| 32 | Yola | Adamawa | 460,000 |
| 33 | Uyo | Akwa Ibom State | 436,606 |
| 34 | Ado-Ekiti | Ekiti State | 435,000 |
| 35 | Ogbomoso | Oyo State | 433,030 |
| 36 | Minna | Niger State | 425,000 |
| 37 | Lekki | Lagos | 401,272 |
| 38 | Bida | Niger State | 400,000 |
| 39 | Makurdi | Benue State | 390,000 |
| 40 | Ondo | Ondo State | 375,000 |
| 41 | Umuahia | Abia State | 370,000 |
| 42 | Iseyin | Oyo State | 365,300 |
| 43 | Yenagoa | Bayelsa State | 365,000 |
| 44 | Gboko | Benue State | 365,000 |
| 45 | Ijebu Ode | Ogun State | 360,000 |
| 46 | Obalende | Lagos | 342,000 |
| 47 | Ilesa | Osun State | 325,000 |
| 48 | Ikeja | Lagos | 313,196 |
| 49 | Akowonjo | Lagos | 308,900 |
| 50 | Alimosho | Lagos | 308,290 |
Twenty years earlier: Nigeria in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 156,468,571.