Recent data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) indicates that the population of Nigerians living abroad has reached approximately 17 million as of 2024.
The Nigerian diaspora is among the largest globally, making Nigeria the African country with the most significant presence abroad.
Nigerians are notably prominent in regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia, positioning them as the largest African population outside the continent, excluding French-speaking nations.
In terms of financial contributions, Nigerians abroad lead in remittances, with $23 billion recorded in 2023.
This figure is nearly equivalent to the combined GDP of Africa’s ten smallest economies: Togo, Burundi, Eswatini, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Lesotho, South Sudan, Djibouti, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Gambia.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, Nigeria ranks fourth among African nations in terms of the number of citizens living outside the continent, as highlighted by Kevin Urama, Chief Economist and Vice-President of Economic Governance and Knowledge Management at the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Urama also noted that an estimated 70,000 skilled professionals emigrate from Africa annually, with around 58% of Nigerian expatriates residing outside Africa, while the remaining 42% are in other African countries.
In an effort to accurately account for Nigerians living abroad, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) launched the Data Mapping and Registry Portal in 2021.
To date, Nigerians from 28 countries have registered on the portal. Although the commission has not disclosed the total number of registered diaspora residents, IOM data confirms that the Nigerian diaspora population stands at about 17 million as of 2024.
