Nigeria has Over 250 Ethnic groups (See List)

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a sovereign country located in West Africa. Nigeria should be a powerhouse and the most powerful country in Africa. it is the continent’s biggest oil producer and most populous country.

The current population of Nigeria is 206,438,279 as of July 2020, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data and Nigeria ranks number 7 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.

According to preliminary results of the census and subsequent estimates, the most populous cities in Nigeria are Lagos (9 million), Kano (3.6million), Ibadan (3.5 million), Kaduna (1.5 million), Port Harcourt (1.1 million), and Benin City (1.1 million).

Nigeria is also divided along many lines ethnic, religious, economic, and political

See the list of ethnic groups in Nigeria Below

Ethnics Group

Nigeria has Over 250 ethnic groups, with over 500 languages and customs, creating a country of rich ethnic diversity. The three most significant groups are Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, together accounting for more than 70% of the population, while the Edo, Ijaw, Fulɓe, Kanuri, Urhobo-Isoko, Ibibio, Ebira, Nupe, Gbagyi, Jukun, Igala, Idoma, and Tiv comprise between 25 and 30%; other minorities make up the remaining 5%.

The three Largest Groups in Nigeria

Hausa (30%)
Yoruba (22%)
Igbo (also seen as Ibo, 18%)

Hausa and Fulani have traditionally dominated in the north, Yoruba in the southwest, Igbo in the east, and Ijaw in the Niger Delta.

Rivalries among ethnic groups are a source of instability. Since 1991.

The middle belt of Nigeria is known for its diversity of ethnic groups, including the Pyem, Goemai, and Kofyar.

The official population count of each of Nigeria’s ethnicities has always remained controversial and disputed as members of different ethnic groups believe the census is rigged to give a particular group (usually believed to be northern groups) numerical superiority.

Language

In Nigeria there are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria; nine of them are now extinct.

In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English. Other widely used languages are Edo, Efik, Fulani, Adamawa Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igbo (Ibo), Central Kanuri, Yoniba, and Yoruba.

Religion

Nigeria’s population is split primarily between Islam and Christianity is the most widely professed religion. Nigerians are nearly equally divided into Muslims and Christians, Muslims constitute the majority in the north and Christians the majority in the south

Islam dominates North Western (Hausa, Fulani, and others) and a good portion of Northern Eastern (Kanuri, Fulani, and other groups) Nigeria. It also has a number of adherents in the South Western, Yoruba part of the country.

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Nigeria has the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa. Protestant and locally cultivated Christianity are also widely practiced in Western areas, while Roman Catholicism is a more prominent Christian feature of South Eastern Nigeria. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are observed in the Ibibio, Annang, Efik, Ijo, and Ogoni lands of the south.

In terms of Nigeria’s major ethnic groups, the Hausa ethnic group (predominant in the north) was found to be 95% Muslim and 5% Christian, the Yoruba tribe (predominant in the west) was equally split between Christians and Muslims with 10% adherents of traditional religions, while the Igbos (predominant in the east) and the Ijaw (south) were 98% Christian, with 2% practicing traditional religions.

The middle belt of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, who were found to be mostly Christians and members of traditional religions, with a small proportion of Muslims

In early 2006, following news of the publication of derogatory caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, anti-Christian riots broke out in Nigeria, and anti-Muslim reprisals followed. Churches and mosques were destroyed, numerous people were injured, and more than 100 were killed during the violence.

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List of ethnic groups in Nigeria

Abayon – Cross River State
Abua (Odual) – Rivers State
Achipa (Achipawa) – Kebbi State
Adim – Cross River State
Adun – Cross River State
Affade – Yobe State
Afizere – Plateau State
Afo – Plateau State
Agbo – Cross River State
Akaju-Ndem (Akajuk) – Cross River State
Akweya-Yachi Benue State
Alago (Arago) – Plateau State
Amo – Plateau State
Anaguta – Plateau State
Anang – Akwa Ibom State
Andoni – Akwa Ibom State, Rivers State
Angas – Bauchi State, Plateau State
Anioma – Delta State, Edo State, Anambra State, Rivers State
Ankwei – Plateau State
Anyima – Cross River State
Attakar (ataka) – Kaduna State
Auyoka (Sub-Hausa) – Jigawa State
Awori – Lagos State, Ogun State
Ayu – Kaduna State
Babur (Pabir)/Bura – Adamawa State, Borno State, Taraba State, Yobe State
Bachama – Adamawa State
Bachere – Cross River State
Bada – Plateau State
Bade – Yobe State
Baggara Arabs Borno State
Bahumono – Cross River State
Bakulung – Taraba State
Bali – Taraba State
Bambora (Bambarawa) – Bauchi State
Bambuko – Taraba State
Banda (Bandawa) – Taraba State
Banka (Bankalawa) – Bauchi State
Banso (Panso) Adamawa State
Bara (Barawa) – Bauchi State
Barke – Bauchi State
Baruba (Batonu) – Kwara State, Niger State
Bashiri (Bashirawa) – Plateau State
Bassa – Kaduna State, Kogi State, Niger State, Plateau State
Batta – Adamawa State
Baushi – Niger State
Baya – Adamawa State
Bekwarra – Cross River
Bele (Buli, Belewa) – Bauchi State
Betso (Bete) – Taraba State
Bette – Cross River State
Bilei – Adamawa State
Bille – Adamawa State
Bina (Binawa) – Kaduna State
Bini (Edo) – Edo State
Birom – Plateau State
Bobua – Taraba State
Boki (Nki) – Cross River State
Bokkos – Plateau State
Boko (Bussawa, Bargawa) – Niger State
Bole (Bolewa) – Bauchi State, Yobe State
Botlere Adamawa State
Boma (Bomawa, Burmano) – Bauchi State
Bomboro – Bauchi State
Buduma – Borno State,
Buji – Plateau State
Buli – Bauchi State
Bunu – Kogi State
Bura/Babur (Pabir) – Adamawa State, Borno State
Burak – Bauchi State
Burma (Burmawa) – Plateau State
Buru – Yobe State
Buta (Butawa) – Bauchi State
Bwall – Plateau State
Bwatiye – Adamawa State
Bwazza – Adamawa State
Challa – Plateau State
Chama (Chamawa Fitilai) – Bauchi State
Chamba – Taraba State
Chamo – Bauchi State
Chibok (Kibaku) – Borno State, Yobe State
Chinine – Borno State
Chip – Plateau State
Chokobo – Plateau State
Chukkol – Taraba State
Daba – Adamawa State
Dadiya – Bauchi State
Daka – Adamawa State
Dakarkari – Kebbi State, Niger State
Danda (Dandawa) – Kebbi State
Dangsa – Taraba State
Daza (Dere, Derewa) – Bauchi State
Degema – Rivers State
Deno (Denawa) – Bauchi State
Dghwede – Borno State
Diba – Taraba State
Doemak (Dumuk) – Plateau State
Ouguri – Bauchi State
Duka (Dukawa) – Kebbi State
Duma (Dumawa) – Bauchi State
Ebana (Ebani) – Rivers State
Ebira – Edo State, Kogi State, Ondo State
Ebu – Edo State, Kogi State
Ebu – Edo State, Kogi State
Efik – Cross River State
Egbema – Rivers State
Egede (Igedde) – Benue State
Eggon Plateau State
Egun (Gu) – Lagos State, Ogun State
Ejagham – Cross River State
Ekajuk – Cross River State
Eket – Akwa Ibom
Ekoi – Cross River State
Ekpeye – Rivers State
Engenni (Ngene) – Rivers State
Epie – Bayelsa State
Esan (Ishan) – Edo State
Etche – Rivers State
Etolu (Etilo) – Benue State
Etsako – Edo State
Etung – Cross River State
Etuno – Edo State
Palli – Adamawa State
Fulani (Fulbe) – Adamawa State, Bauchi State, Borno State, Gombe State, Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Kwara State, Niger State,Plateau State, Sokoto State, Taraba State, Yobe State ,Zamfara State
Fyam (Fyem) – Plateau State
Fyer(Fer) – Plateau State
Ga’anda – Adamawa State
Gade – Niger State Nasarawa State
Galambi – Bauchi State
Gamergu-Mulgwa – Borno State
Qanawuri – Plateau State
Gavako – Borno State
Gbedde – Kogi State
Gengle – Taraba State
Geji – Bauchi State
Gera (Gere, Gerawa) – Bauchi State
Geruma (Gerumawa) – Plateau State
Geruma (Gerumawa) – auchi State
Gingwak – Bauchi State
Gira – Adamawa State
Gizigz – Adamawa State
Goemai – Plateau State
Gokana – (Kana) Rivers State
Gombi – -Adamawa State
Gornun (Gmun) – Taraba State
Gonia – Taraba State
Gubi (Gubawa) – Bauchi State
Gude – Adamawa State
Gudu – Adamawa State
Gure – Kaduna State
Gurmana – Niger State
Gururntum – Bauchi State
Gusu – Plateau State
Gwa (Gurawa) Adamawa State
Gwamba – Adamawa State
Gwandara – Kaduna State, Niger State, Plateau State
Gwari (Gbagi)- Kaduna State, Kogi State, Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa State, Niger State, Plateau State
Gwong (Kagoma) – Kaduna State
Gwom – Taraba State
Gwoza (Waha) – Borno State
Gyem – Bauchi State
Ham (Hyam, Jaba, Jabba) – Kaduna State
Hausa – Bauchi State, Borno State, Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Niger State, Sokoto State, Taraba State
Holma – Adamawa State
Hona – Adamawa State
Ibeno – Akwa Ibom State
Ibibio – Akwa Ibom State
Ichen – Adamawa State
Idoma – Benue State, Cross River State, Kogi State, Nassarawa State
Igala – Anambra State , Edo State , Enugu State, Kogi State
Igbo – Abia State, Anambra State, Delta State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Imo State, Rivers State
Ijumu – Kogi State
Ika – Delta State
Ikom – Cross River State
Ikwerre – Rivers State
Irigwe – Plateau State
Isoko – Delta State, Bayelsa State
Isekiri (Itsekiri) – Delta State
Iyala (Iyalla) – Cross River State
Izon (Ijaw) – Bayelsa State, Delta State, Edo State, Ondo State, Rivers State
Jahuna (Jahunawa) – Taraba State
Jaku – Bauchi State
Jara (Jaar Jarawa Jarawa-Dutse)Bauchi State
Jere (Jare, Jera, Jera, Jerawa) Bauchi State, Plateau State
Jero Taraba State
Jibu – Adamawa State
Jidda-Abu – Plateau State
Jimbin (Jimbinawa) – Bauchi State
Jirai – Adamawa State
Jonjo (Jenjo) – Taraba State
Jukun – Bauchi State, Benue State, Plateau State, Taraba State
Kaba(Kabawa)
Taraba State – Kadara Kaduna State, Niger State
Kafanchan – Kaduna State
Kagoro – Kaduna State
Kaje (Kache) – Kaduna State
Kajuru (Kajurawa) – Kaduna State
Kaka – Adamawa State
Kamaku (Karnukawa) – Kaduna State, Kebbi State, Niger State
Kambari – Kebbi State, Niger State
Kambu – Adamawa State
Kanakuru (Dera – Adamawa State, Borno State
Kanembu – Borno State