Niger is 21 times the size of Lagos. Lagos has 2.4 times Niger's people. Kano has 44 councils; FCT has 6 — and both get a seat at the same table.
Switch the metric and watch the ranking rearrange. No state leads on all three.
Ranks 1 on land, 13 on people and 10 on councils out of 37.
Ranks 37 on land, 2 on people and 20 on councils out of 37.
The gap between a state's land ranking and its population ranking — the larger the gap, the more misleading its size on a map.
2th by population but only 37th by land — people without space.
3th largest by land but only 33th by population — space without density.
10th by population but only 36th by land — people without space.
6th largest by land but only 32th by population — space without density.
14th by population but only 35th by land — people without space.
9th largest by land but only 30th by population — space without density.
Local government allocation is paid per council. The population behind each council is not remotely equal.
The ratio between the heaviest and lightest council is 3.9×. Because federation allocation flows partly per council, a state with many small councils collects more per resident than a state with few large ones — which is why council creation, not state creation, is now the live constitutional argument.
Nigeria has no single population figure. Six measurements are in circulation; each one is shown here, with how it is built and what it is good for. Only the 2006 census is a per-state count — the rest are national totals split by each state's gazetted 2006 share.
| State | Area km² | LGAs | 2006 census | NPC projection 2026 | NIN enrolments | Unique mobile users | Banked adults | GRID3 satellite grid | Per council (2006) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NigerNorth Central | 76,363 | 25 | 3,950,249 | 6,618,355 | 3,441,100 | 3,384,688 | 1,805,167 | 6,148,850 | 158,010 |
| BornoNorth East | 70,898 | 27 | 4,151,193 | 6,955,022 | 3,616,144 | 3,556,863 | 1,896,994 | 6,461,634 | 153,748 |
| TarabaNorth East | 54,473 | 16 | 2,300,736 | 3,854,716 | 2,004,193 | 1,971,338 | 1,051,380 | 3,581,263 | 143,796 |
| KadunaNorth West | 46,053 | 23 | 6,113,503 | 10,242,730 | 5,325,531 | 5,238,227 | 2,793,721 | 9,516,113 | 265,804 |
| BauchiNorth East | 45,837 | 20 | 4,676,465 | 7,835,077 | 4,073,713 | 4,006,931 | 2,137,030 | 7,279,258 | 233,823 |
| YobeNorth East | 45,502 | 17 | 2,321,339 | 3,889,235 | 2,022,141 | 1,988,991 | 1,060,795 | 3,613,333 | 136,549 |
| ZamfaraNorth West | 39,762 | 14 | 3,259,846 | 5,461,635 | 2,839,683 | 2,793,131 | 1,489,670 | 5,074,188 | 232,846 |
| AdamawaNorth East | 36,917 | 21 | 3,168,101 | 5,307,923 | 2,759,763 | 2,714,521 | 1,447,745 | 4,931,380 | 150,862 |
| KwaraNorth Central | 36,825 | 16 | 2,371,089 | 3,972,587 | 2,065,478 | 2,031,618 | 1,083,530 | 3,690,773 | 148,193 |
| KebbiNorth West | 36,800 | 21 | 3,238,628 | 5,426,086 | 2,821,200 | 2,774,951 | 1,479,974 | 5,041,160 | 154,220 |
| BenueNorth Central | 34,059 | 23 | 4,219,244 | 7,069,037 | 3,675,424 | 3,615,171 | 1,928,091 | 6,567,561 | 183,445 |
| PlateauNorth Central | 30,913 | 17 | 3,178,712 | 5,325,701 | 2,769,006 | 2,723,613 | 1,452,594 | 4,947,897 | 186,983 |
| KogiNorth Central | 29,833 | 21 | 3,278,487 | 5,492,867 | 2,855,921 | 2,809,103 | 1,498,188 | 5,103,204 | 156,118 |
| OyoSouth West | 28,454 | 33 | 5,591,589 | 9,368,301 | 4,870,887 | 4,791,036 | 2,555,219 | 8,703,716 | 169,442 |
| NasarawaNorth Central | 27,117 | 13 | 1,863,275 | 3,121,782 | 1,623,117 | 1,596,508 | 851,471 | 2,900,323 | 143,329 |
| SokotoNorth West | 25,973 | 23 | 3,696,999 | 6,194,053 | 3,220,491 | 3,167,696 | 1,689,438 | 5,754,648 | 160,739 |
| KatsinaNorth West | 24,192 | 34 | 5,792,578 | 9,705,044 | 5,045,970 | 4,963,249 | 2,647,066 | 9,016,570 | 170,370 |
| JigawaNorth West | 23,154 | 27 | 4,348,649 | 7,285,845 | 3,788,150 | 3,726,049 | 1,987,226 | 6,768,989 | 161,061 |
| Cross RiverSouth South | 20,156 | 18 | 2,888,966 | 4,840,253 | 2,516,606 | 2,475,350 | 1,320,187 | 4,496,886 | 160,498 |
| KanoNorth West | 20,131 | 44 | 9,383,682 | 15,721,677 | 8,174,215 | 8,040,212 | 4,288,113 | 14,606,384 | 213,266 |
| GombeNorth East | 18,768 | 11 | 2,353,879 | 3,943,753 | 2,050,487 | 2,016,872 | 1,075,665 | 3,663,984 | 213,989 |
| EdoSouth South | 17,802 | 18 | 3,218,332 | 5,392,081 | 2,803,520 | 2,757,560 | 1,470,699 | 5,009,568 | 178,796 |
| DeltaSouth South | 17,698 | 25 | 4,098,391 | 6,866,556 | 3,570,148 | 3,511,621 | 1,872,864 | 6,379,444 | 163,936 |
| OgunSouth West | 16,762 | 20 | 3,728,098 | 6,246,157 | 3,247,582 | 3,194,343 | 1,703,649 | 5,803,056 | 186,405 |
| OndoSouth West | 15,500 | 18 | 3,441,024 | 5,765,186 | 2,997,509 | 2,948,369 | 1,572,464 | 5,356,204 | 191,168 |
| RiversSouth South | 11,077 | 23 | 5,185,400 | 8,687,761 | 4,517,052 | 4,443,002 | 2,369,601 | 8,071,453 | 225,452 |
| BayelsaSouth South | 10,773 | 8 | 1,703,358 | 2,853,853 | 1,483,811 | 1,459,487 | 778,393 | 2,651,401 | 212,920 |
| OsunSouth West | 9,251 | 30 | 3,423,535 | 5,735,884 | 2,982,274 | 2,933,384 | 1,564,472 | 5,328,982 | 114,118 |
| FCTNorth Central | 7,315 | 6 | 1,406,239 | 2,356,051 | 1,224,988 | 1,204,906 | 642,617 | 2,188,913 | 234,373 |
| EnuguSouth East | 7,161 | 17 | 3,257,298 | 5,457,366 | 2,837,463 | 2,790,948 | 1,488,505 | 5,070,222 | 191,606 |
| Akwa IbomSouth South | 7,081 | 31 | 3,920,208 | 6,568,024 | 3,414,931 | 3,358,948 | 1,791,439 | 6,102,089 | 126,458 |
| EkitiSouth West | 6,353 | 16 | 2,384,212 | 3,994,574 | 2,076,910 | 2,042,862 | 1,089,526 | 3,711,200 | 149,013 |
| AbiaSouth East | 6,320 | 17 | 2,833,999 | 4,748,159 | 2,468,724 | 2,428,253 | 1,295,068 | 4,411,326 | 166,706 |
| EbonyiSouth East | 5,533 | 13 | 2,173,501 | 3,641,543 | 1,893,358 | 1,862,319 | 993,237 | 3,383,213 | 167,192 |
| ImoSouth East | 5,530 | 27 | 3,934,899 | 6,592,637 | 3,427,728 | 3,371,536 | 1,798,152 | 6,124,957 | 145,737 |
| AnambraSouth East | 4,844 | 21 | 4,182,032 | 7,006,691 | 3,643,008 | 3,583,287 | 1,911,086 | 6,509,637 | 199,144 |
| LagosSouth West | 3,671 | 20 | 9,013,534 | 15,101,521 | 7,851,776 | 7,723,058 | 4,118,964 | 14,030,222 | 450,677 |
Green column = counted. Every other column = modelled from the 2006 share.
National total 140,431,790
How: The National Population Commission's gazetted head-count: 140,431,790 nationally, published state by state. The only counted figure here — nothing is modelled.
Why it differs: The only per-state number with legal standing, and the base every other column is derived from. Each state's share of the national total is fixed at its 2006 value.
National total 234,645,725
How: An estimate. The NBS growth rate of 2.6%/yr over 20 years is a multiplier of 1.671×, implying ≈234,645,725 nationally. The state figure is its 2006 count × 1.671.
Why it differs: The official answer when a current number is demanded. It assumes every state grew at the national rate — untrue for oil, capital and conflict-affected states.
National total 122,000,000
How: 122,000,000 National Identification Numbers issued by mid-2025, split by each state's 2006 share because NIMC publishes no systematic state breakdown.
Why it differs: A floor, not a population: under-fives, the very elderly and remote rural communities are all under-enrolled.
National total 120,000,000
How: 220,000,000 active lines in 2025 but only ≈120,000,000 unique subscribers per GSMA — most Nigerians carry two SIMs. The unique figure is split by the 2006 share.
Why it differs: A near-real-time signal of adult economic presence. The NCC publishes zonal, not state, subscriber counts.
National total 64,000,000
How: 64,000,000 unique Bank Verification Numbers at end-2024, split by the 2006 share.
Why it differs: The most reliable floor on banked adults. It under-counts the unbanked rural population and over-counts urban states, because migrants register a Lagos or Abuja address.
National total 218,000,000
How: ≈218,000,000 in the 2024 release, built from 100 m × 100 m grids of satellite built-up area, the 2006 census, microcensuses and WorldPop modelling.
Why it differs: The closest thing to a current observed count, and what vaccination programmes run on. It typically runs 5–10% above the NPC projection.