By George Ozalla
Nigeria has joined the global community in marking World Population Day 2025, this time focusing on empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world. In a media briefing to commemorate the event Thursday in Abuja organized by the National Population Commission (NPC) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Nasir Kwarra, Chairman of NPC, reaffirmed the urgent need to tackle impediments facing young people to boost Nigeria’s demographic potential. Kwarra further spotlighted initiatives on digital transformation of birth and death registration systems and development of a National Geospatial Data Repository during the media briefing. He stressed that the forthcoming population and housing census will be the nation’s novel completely digital census.
Koessan Kuawu, UNFPA Nigeria Deputy Representative, in his remark appealed to the government and partners to enlighten young people to make informed reproductive choices. He stated growth and development can be best be achieved through access to reproductive health services, and not by controlling fertility rates.
The theme of World Population Day 2025 is “Empowering Young People to Create the Families They Want in a Fair and Hopeful World”. With over 60 percent of Nigeria’s population under 30, the country stands on the brink of a transformative demographic transition. The digital census and data collection will aid evidence-based planning in youth-focused sectors like education, health, and employment.
Nigeria’s Demographic Profile
Nigeria’s population is projected to reach 237,527,782 by 2025, accounting for 2.89% of the total world population. The median age in Nigeria is 18.1 years, with a population density of 261 per Km². Over 54% of the population is urban.
