The National Population Commission (NPC) has said that Nigeria’s population has been estimated at 206 million for 2020.
The Executive Chairman of the Commission, Nasir Kwarra, said this in Abuja on Tuesday while announcing the start of the 11th Phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD).
Nigeria has not conducted census in the last 14 years, thereby relying on population estimates.
The NPC had estimated the country’s population at 198 million in 2018.
“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,” he said.
Kwarra said the Commission was hopeful of a presidential proclamation to hold a census in 2021 and 2022.
He said the EAD being held across the country was in preparation for the census.
He disclosed that 260 local government areas out of the 774 in the country had been demarcated.
The NPC boss said the 11th phase of the EAD, which would begin on December 9, 2020, and end on January 20, 2021, would be conducted in 95 LGAs spread across the country.
