List of Nigerian states by population
The following table presents a listing of Nigeria's 36 states ranked in order of their total population based on the 2006 Census figures, as well as their 2016 projected populations, which was published by the National Bureau of Statistics. Lagos' population has been updated to reflect a 2019 estimate.
| Rank | State | Population | Population |
| 1 | Lagos State | 9,113,605 | 17,500,000 |
| 2 | Kano State | 9,401,288 | 13,076,892 |
| 3 | Kaduna State | 6,113,503 | 8,252,366 |
| 4 | Oyo State | 5,580,894 | 7,840,864 |
| 5 | Katsina State | 5,801,584 | 7,831,319 |
| 6 | Rivers State | 5,198,605 | 7,303,924 |
| 7 | Bauchi State | 4,653,066 | 6,537,314 |
| 8 | Borno State | 4,171,104 | 5,860,183 |
| 9 | Jigawa State | 4,361,002 | 5,828,163 |
| 10 | Benue State | 4,253,641 | 5,741,815 |
| 11 | Delta State | 4,112,445 | 5,663,362 |
| 12 | Niger State | 3,954,772 | 5,556,247 |
| 13 | Anambra State | 4,177,828 | 5,527,809 |
| 14 | Akwa Ibom State | 3,178,950 | 5,482,177 |
| 15 | Imo State | 3,927,563 | 5,408,756 |
| 16 | Ogun State | 3,751,140 | 5,217,716 |
| 17 | Sokoto State | 3,702,676 | 4,998,090 |
| 18 | Osun State | 3,416,959 | 4,705,589 |
| 19 | Ondo State | 3,460,877 | 4,671,695 |
| 20 | Zamfara State | 3,278,873 | 4,515,427 |
| 21 | Kogi State | 3,314,043 | 4,473,490 |
| 22 | Kebbi State | 3,256,541 | 4,440,050 |
| 23 | Enugu State | 3,267,837 | 4,411,119 |
| 24 | Adamawa State | 3,178,950 | 4,248,436 |
| 25 | Edo State | 3,233,366 | 4,235,595 |
| 26 | Plateau State | 3,206,531 | 4,200,442 |
| 27 | Cross River State | 2,892,988 | 3,866,269 |
| 28 | Abia State | 2,845,380 | 3,727,347 |
| – | Federal Capital Territory | 1,405,201 | 3,564,126 |
| 29 | Yobe State | 2,321,339 | 3,294,137 |
| 30 | Ekiti State | 2,398,957 | 3,270,798 |
| 31 | Gombe State | 2,365,040 | 3,256,962 |
| 32 | Kwara State | 2,365,353 | 3,192,893 |
| 33 | Taraba State | 2,294,800 | 3,066,834 |
| 34 | Ebonyi State | 2,176,947 | 2,880,383 |
| 35 | Nasarawa State | 1,869,377 | 2,523,395 |
| 36 | Bayelsa State | 1,704,515 | 2,277,961 |
Comparing Nigeria's Population to countries by States, Geopolitical Zones and Regions (North-South)
| Geopolitical Zones | Population | Comparable Country |
| Nigeria | 206,139,589 | Brazil |
| North West | 48,942,307 | Colombia |
| South West | 46,706,662 | Spain |
| North Central | 29,252,408 | Nepal |
| South South | 28,829,288 | Venezuela |
| North East | 26,263,866 | Cameroon |
| South East | 21,955,414 | Sri Lanka |