Nigeria’s population now 206 million – NPC

The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Kwarra, said on Tuesday Nigeria’s population has increased to 206 million.

The NPC chairman, who disclosed this to journalists during the commencement of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) in Abuja, added that Nigeria has not conducted a census in the last 14 years.

He, however, said the figure was based on projections, adding that the exact population size cannot be determined without a census.

The NPC chief said: “In the absence of an actual census, we formally do projections and we have all along been doing our projections and we estimate that as of 2020, the estimated population of Nigeria is 206 million.

“Planning for the census is anchored on the EAD as the basis for estimating both the human and material resources required for the census. In essence, the success of a credible and accurate census depends very much on the quality and reliability of the EAD.”

Kwarra stressed that the EAD exercise is not the enumeration of persons living in the country but a preparatory exercise before the census.

According to him, the NPC will assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create digitised maps of registration areas for the first time in the history of the country as part of the EAD.

In 2018, Nigeria’s projected population size was 198 million, with the current figure of 206 million, it means the country’s population has increased by eight million in two years.

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