Lagos is a city in the Nigerian state of Lagos. The city, is the largest in Nigeria, as well as on the African continent. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and also one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. Lagos is a port city, this metropolitan area originated on islands, including Lagos Island that were protected from the Atlantic Ocean by sand spits. The city has expanded onto the mainland west of the lagoon, however, with Ikeja, the capital of Lagos, and Agege over 25 miles northwest of Lagos Island.
Lagos which was the capital of Nigeria since its amalgamation in 1914, went on to become the capital of Lagos State, after its creation. Even though Lagos is still widely referred to as a city, the present day Lagos, also known as “Metropolitan Lagos”, and officially as “Lagos Metropolitan Area. It is the most populous financial area in the African region and houses the busiest airport in the Continent.
Due to rapid industrialization and a promise of white collar jobs in the city attracted flocks of people here.
POPULATION OF LAGOS IN 2017:
Talking about population, in order to check out the population of Lagos in 2017, we need to have a look at the population of the past 5 years. They are as per the following:
- 2012 – 12.2 million
- 2013 – 14.9 million
- 2014 – 17.03 million
- 2015 – 20.09 million
- 2016 – 21 million
LAGOS Population 2017 – 22 million(Estimated)
Lagos has a population estimated at 21 million in 2016, which makes it the largest city in Africa. The projected population of Lagos in 2017 is 22 million and 25 million by 2025.
The Lagos State Government estimates the population of Lagos at 17.5 million, but this data was not accepted by the Nigerian Government and was declared unreliable by National Population Commission of Nigeria, which put the population at over 21 million in 2016.Lagos surpassed Cairo in size in 2012 to become the largest city of Africa. The population was estimated at just 11.2 million in 2011 by the United Nations. Large flocks of people still migrate to Lagos in the hope of getting white collar jobs here, due to which Lagos has swelled, gulped up surrounding cities, and even encroached, forebodingly, into bordering states. This is still going on and the Populations Reference Bureau predicts Lagos will double in size in the next 15 years.
Overpopulation is what people expect will spoil the city now. The World Economic Forum (WEF) says Lagos is the fastest-growing city in the world, with a growth of 85 people per hour.The population growth of Lagos is faster than that of London and New York put together, with the two cities growing at a rate of 9 and 10 people per hour.
DEMOGRAPHY OF LAGOS
Lagos has a very diverse population due to heavy migration from other parts of Nigeria and surrounding countries. The originators, Yoruba are the dominant ethnic group. There are more than 250 ethnic groups represented in Lagos, which includes the major ethnic groups of Africa like the Hausa, Igbo, and Fulani. Small minorities of American, British, East Indian, Chinese, white Zimbabwean, Greek, Syrian, Lebanese and Japanese are also present in the city.
In the mid of the 19th Century, a large number of ex- slaves of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban descent and emigrants from Sierra Leone created communities in Lagos, along with ex-slaves from the Americas. They became missionaries and merchants in the city.
The city faces a major issue of inequality in the distribution of wealth and income.While there are many millionaires in Lagos, about 66% of the population lives in slums. In fact, the city has been dubbed the “mega-city of slums,” with millions living in and around the lagoons with no access to roads, clean water, electricity or waste disposal.
POPULATION GROWTH AND POPULATION DENSITY IN LAGOS
The population of Lagos was 1.4 million in 1970, which saw a tremendous rate of increase reaching a 21 million scale. The city is home to a huge number of millionaires and at the same time generates 25% of the Nigeria’s Total gross domestic product. It is also the 8th fastest growing city in Africa.
Lagos’s population is growing at a very fast rate and with this pace it will have a population of 300 million in the coming 25 years. With the population doubling over the last 15 years, living standards across Nigeria remain poor. Today, 25% of Africans are Nigerian.
By 2050, Lagos’ population is expected to double, which will make it the 3rd largest city in the world but with less infrastructure than any other large cities of the world.
Lagos has a population Density of 13,000 per square miles.
FACTS ABOUT LAGOS
1. Lagos have south-easterners representing them in the House of Assembly.
2. Renting a house in Lagos is really very expensive and the most expensive in the entire West Africa.
3. Of all the 36 Nigerian states, Lagos state is the smallest and at the same time the most Populous State in Nigeria.
4. The country accommodates 1200 new people daily.
5. It has the Highest Number of Millionaires and at the same time highest number of slums in Nigeria.
6. Lagos is the Nigerian state that handles majority of the country’s imports that accounts to 80% of the total imports.
7. Playing host to the city of Lagos, the state of Lagos is considered to be among the fastest growing states in the world. The city of Lagos is responsible for propelling Lagos state to an economic hub.
Find Latest Lagos Population in 2018
