UN: Nigeria’s population now 201m

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has stated that
Nigeria’s population currently stands at an all-time high of 201
million, representing an increase of 5.1 million from the 195.9
million it said the country had in October last year.

The UNFPA in its 2019 State of the World Population report
published on its website, said the country’s annual growth rate has
been at an average of 2.6 per cent from 2010 to 2019.

According to the report, fertility rate among Nigerian women has
dropped from 6.4 in 1969 to 5.3 in 2019; meaning that an average
Nigerian woman gives birth to at least five children.

It said global fertility rate or the average number of births
per woman stood at 4.8 in 1969; 2.9 in 1994; and 2.5 in 2019.

The report further said contraceptive prevalence rate among
Nigerian women aged 15-49 is only 19 per cent, adding that decision
making on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights
among these women has averaged at 51 per cent between 2007 and
2018.

The report, however, implies that 49 per cent of Nigerian women
still do not have the power to decide on their sexual and
reproductive health and reproductive rights.

The UN agency estimated that Nigeria’s population has grown from
54.7 million in 1969 to 105.4 million in 1994 and 201.0 million in
2019.

It explained that of this 201 million, 44 per cent or 88.44
million are between the ages of 0 and 14, while 32 per cent, 64.32
million are within the ages of 10 and 24.

The report said: “Reproductive rights are still out of reach for
too many women, including the more than 200 million women who want
to prevent a pregnancy but cannot access modern contraceptive
information and services.

“Ultimately, almost all of the 4.3 billion people of
reproductive age around the world today will have had inadequate
access to sexual and reproductive health services at some
point.”

In 1969, world population reached 3.6 billion, up about 1
billion from only 17 years earlier, leading to the establishment of
UNFPA.

The UN agency has succeeded in reducing fertility rates
worldwide by about 50 per cent.

In the least developed countries, fertility was about six births
per woman in 1969.

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