Nigeria's cities now hold more people than Japan's
People living in urban areas, millions, 2010–2025. National urban definitions; 2025 values are World Bank estimates.
Nigerians lived in towns and cities in 2025, up from 86 million in 2010.
The year Nigeria passed Japan, whose urban population has shrunk every year since its 2017 peak.
Only China, India, the US, Brazil and Indonesia have more city dwellers, so Africa's urban future is being built in Nigeria.
the numbers
| Year | Nigeria (M) | Japan (M) | Russia (M) | Mexico (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 86.1 | 116.1 | 105.2 | 87.0 |
| 2011 | 90.0 | 116.2 | 105.6 | 88.2 |
| 2012 | 93.9 | 116.2 | 106.1 | 89.6 |
| 2013 | 98.0 | 116.2 | 106.5 | 90.9 |
| 2014 | 102.1 | 116.1 | 107.0 | 92.2 |
| 2015 | 106.3 | 116.1 | 107.4 | 93.5 |
| 2016 | 110.5 | 116.2 | 107.8 | 94.7 |
| 2017 | 114.8 | 116.2 | 108.2 | 95.9 |
| 2018 | 119.2 | 116.2 | 108.4 | 97.2 |
| 2019 | 123.5 | 116.1 | 108.5 | 98.5 |
| 2020 | 127.9 | 115.9 | 108.5 | 99.8 |
| 2021 | 132.4 | 115.5 | 108.2 | 100.8 |
| 2022 | 137.0 | 115.1 | 108.0 | 101.9 |
| 2023 | 141.7 | 114.7 | 107.8 | 103.1 |
| 2024 | 146.5 | 114.3 | 107.9 | 104.4 |
| 2025 | 151.5 | 113.9 | 108.0 | 105.6 |
source notes & method
All values read from the World Bank API (SP.URB.TOTL, WDI last updated 8 Oct 2026) on 3 Nov 2026. Urban population = people living in areas defined as urban by each national statistical office; the World Bank calculates it from its population estimates and urban shares in the UN World Urbanization Prospects, so recent years are modelled estimates. Definitions differ by country, so cross-country comparisons are approximate. Nigeria 2025: 151,484,336; Japan 2025: 113,867,674 (peak 116,242,665 in 2017); Nigeria passed Japan in 2018 (119.2M vs 116.2M; 2017: 114.8M vs 116.2M). Rank 6th derived by progrss from 2025 WDI values for countries (China 933.2M, India 522.4M, US 274.1M, Brazil 187.7M, Indonesia 169.7M). Takeaway 3's second clause is an interpretation.
Published 3 Nov 2026
what connects to this
one plate, every morning
The new world, explained in one chart, in your inbox at 7:00, your time. Free.
or follow via rss, the "rss" in progrss