# Demographics of Niger

The demographic features of Nigeriens, the people of Niger consist of population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The largest ethnic groups in Niger are the Hausa, who also constitute the major ethnic group in northern Nigeria, and the Zarma-Songhai (also spelled Djerma-Songhai), who also are found in parts of Mali. Both groups are sedentary farmers who live in the arable, southern tier. The Kanouri (including Beri Beri, Manga) make up the majority of sedentary population in the far southeast of the nation. The remainder of the Nigerien people are nomadic or seminomadic livestock-raising peoples—Tuareg, Fulani, Toubou and Diffa Arabs. With rapidly growing populations and the consequent competition for meager natural resources, lifestyles of these two types of peoples have come increasingly into conflict in Niger in recent years.
Niger's high infant mortality rate is comparable to levels recorded in neighboring countries. However, the child mortality rate (deaths among children between the ages of 1 and 4) is exceptionally high (274 per 1,000) due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition for most of the country's children. Niger's very high total fertility rate (6.89 children born per woman, which is the highest in the world), nonetheless, means that nearly half (49%) of the Nigerien population is under age 15. School attendance is low (34%), including 38% of males and 27% of females. Additional education occurs through Koranic schools.

## Population

| Year | Population (persons) | %+ |
| 1960 | 3,240,000 | — |
| 1970 | 4,210,000 | 29.9% |
| 1980 | 5,578,000 | 32.5% |
| 1990 | 7,754,610 | 39.0% |
| 2000 | 10,492,569 | 35.3% |
| 2010 | 15,203,822 | 44.9% |
| 2020 | 22,750,000 | 49.6% |
Source: Institut National de la Statistique - Niger

### UN estimates

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 25,252,722 in 2021, compared to only 2 462 000 in 1950. The proportion of children and teenagers below the age of 15 in 2010 was 49%, 48.8% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while only 2.2% was 65 years or older.
| | Total population | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) |
| 1950 | 2 462 000 | 49.5 | 49.6 | 0.9 |
| 1955 | 2 834 000 | 48.1 | 51.1 | 0.8 |
| 1960 | 3 250 000 | 47.1 | 51.8 | 1.1 |
| 1965 | 3 766 000 | 46.9 | 51.7 | 1.3 |
| 1970 | 4 373 000 | 47.7 | 50.8 | 1.5 |
| 1975 | 5 071 000 | 48.1 | 50.3 | 1.6 |
| 1980 | 5 871 000 | 48.0 | 50.3 | 1.7 |
| 1985 | 6 744 000 | 48.2 | 49.9 | 1.9 |
| 1990 | 7 788 000 | 48.3 | 49.7 | 2.0 |
| 1995 | 9 179 000 | 48.3 | 49.6 | 2.1 |
| 2000 | 10 922 000 | 48.5 | 49.4 | 2.1 |
| 2005 | 12 994 000 | 48.9 | 49.0 | 2.1 |
| 2010 | 15 512 000 | 49.0 | 48.8 | 2.2 |
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2017):
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 10 296 315 | 10 354 759 | 20 651 074 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 2 079 319 | 2 032 648 | 4 111 966 | 19.91 |
| 5–9 | 1 845 949 | 1 754 522 | 3 600 471 | 17.43 |
| 10–14 | 1 503 877 | 1 449 930 | 2 953 806 | 14.30 |
| 15–19 | 1 073 645 | 1 060 174 | 2 133 819 | 10.33 |
| 20–24 | 820 282 | 878 703 | 1 698 985 | 8.23 |
| 25–29 | 619 222 | 676 218 | 1 295 439 | 6.27 |
| 30–34 | 510 322 | 538 449 | 1 048 771 | 5.08 |
| 35–39 | 420 240 | 455 969 | 876 209 | 4.24 |
| 40–44 | 339 682 | 369 270 | 708 952 | 3.43 |
| 45–49 | 274 985 | 286 234 | 561 219 | 2.72 |
| 50–54 | 230 659 | 244 922 | 475 582 | 2.30 |
| 55–59 | 181 127 | 185 004 | 366 130 | 1.77 |
| 60–64 | 134 934 | 140 036 | 274 970 | 1.33 |
| 65-69 | 96 579 | 100 335 | 196 914 | 0.95 |
| 70-74 | 70 314 | 76 325 | 146 638 | 0.71 |
| 75-79 | 48 176 | 51 958 | 100 134 | 0.48 |
| 80+ | 47 003 | 54 062 | 101 065 | 0.49 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 5 429 145 | 5 237 100 | 10 666 245 | 51.65 |
| 15–64 | 4 605 098 | 4 834 979 | 9 440 077 | 45.71 |
| 65+ | 262 072 | 282 680 | 544 752 | 2.64 |

## Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in Niger is incomplete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.
| | Mid-year population (thousands) | Live births (thousands) | Deaths (thousands) | Natural change (thousands) | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate (TFR) | Infant mortality (per 1000 live births) | Life expectancy (in years) |
| 1950 | 2 569 | 153 | 68 | 84 | 59.4 | 26.6 | 32.8 | 7.56 | 130.2 | 36.25 |
| 1951 | 2 660 | 158 | 72 | 86 | 59.3 | 27.0 | 32.3 | 7.56 | 130.3 | 36.21 |
| 1952 | 2 750 | 163 | 75 | 88 | 59.2 | 27.4 | 31.8 | 7.56 | 130.4 | 36.17 |
| 1953 | 2 839 | 168 | 78 | 89 | 59.0 | 27.6 | 31.4 | 7.55 | 130.5 | 36.13 |
| 1954 | 2 928 | 172 | 81 | 92 | 58.9 | 27.6 | 31.2 | 7.55 | 130.5 | 36.19 |
| 1955 | 3 019 | 177 | 84 | 94 | 58.7 | 27.7 | 31.1 | 7.55 | 130.5 | 36.22 |
| 1956 | 3 110 | 182 | 86 | 96 | 58.5 | 27.6 | 30.9 | 7.54 | 130.4 | 36.30 |
| 1957 | 3 203 | 187 | 88 | 99 | 58.4 | 27.6 | 30.8 | 7.54 | 130.4 | 36.33 |
| 1958 | 3 298 | 193 | 91 | 101 | 58.3 | 27.6 | 30.7 | 7.54 | 130.3 | 36.35 |
| 1959 | 3 396 | 198 | 94 | 104 | 58.2 | 27.6 | 30.6 | 7.53 | 130.2 | 36.35 |
| 1960 | 3 497 | 203 | 96 | 107 | 58.1 | 27.6 | 30.6 | 7.53 | 130.1 | 36.40 |
| 1961 | 3 603 | 209 | 99 | 110 | 57.9 | 27.4 | 30.5 | 7.51 | 130.0 | 36.56 |
| 1962 | 3 711 | 214 | 102 | 113 | 57.7 | 27.4 | 30.3 | 7.50 | 129.9 | 36.64 |
| 1963 | 3 823 | 220 | 104 | 115 | 57.5 | 27.3 | 30.2 | 7.49 | 129.9 | 36.74 |
| 1964 | 3 937 | 225 | 107 | 118 | 57.2 | 27.3 | 29.9 | 7.48 | 129.9 | 36.74 |
| 1965 | 4 054 | 230 | 110 | 120 | 56.8 | 27.2 | 29.5 | 7.47 | 129.9 | 36.75 |
| 1966 | 4 173 | 236 | 113 | 123 | 56.6 | 27.2 | 29.4 | 7.48 | 130.0 | 36.81 |
| 1967 | 4 294 | 242 | 117 | 125 | 56.3 | 27.1 | 29.2 | 7.49 | 130.0 | 36.83 |
| 1968 | 4 418 | 247 | 121 | 127 | 56.0 | 27.4 | 28.6 | 7.50 | 131.4 | 36.61 |
| 1969 | 4 543 | 254 | 126 | 128 | 55.8 | 27.6 | 28.2 | 7.51 | 132.7 | 36.35 |
| 1970 | 4 670 | 260 | 130 | 130 | 55.7 | 27.9 | 27.8 | 7.51 | 134.2 | 36.06 |
| 1971 | 4 797 | 267 | 138 | 129 | 55.7 | 28.7 | 27.0 | 7.52 | 136.8 | 35.29 |
| 1972 | 4 926 | 274 | 140 | 134 | 55.6 | 28.4 | 27.2 | 7.52 | 136.7 | 35.63 |
| 1973 | 5 059 | 281 | 144 | 138 | 55.6 | 28.4 | 27.2 | 7.53 | 137.6 | 35.70 |
| 1974 | 5 197 | 289 | 146 | 143 | 55.6 | 28.2 | 27.5 | 7.54 | 138.0 | 36.00 |
| 1975 | 5 339 | 297 | 148 | 149 | 55.7 | 27.7 | 28.0 | 7.54 | 137.6 | 36.59 |
| 1976 | 5 489 | 306 | 150 | 155 | 55.6 | 27.3 | 28.3 | 7.56 | 136.7 | 36.98 |
| 1977 | 5 645 | 315 | 151 | 163 | 55.7 | 26.8 | 28.9 | 7.60 | 135.4 | 37.64 |
| 1978 | 5 810 | 327 | 152 | 175 | 56.2 | 26.2 | 30.1 | 7.66 | 133.8 | 38.45 |
| 1979 | 5 987 | 340 | 154 | 186 | 56.7 | 25.7 | 31.0 | 7.72 | 132.5 | 39.20 |
| 1980 | 6 173 | 353 | 157 | 195 | 57.1 | 25.4 | 31.6 | 7.78 | 131.6 | 39.68 |
| 1981 | 6 366 | 365 | 161 | 204 | 57.3 | 25.2 | 32.0 | 7.82 | 131.4 | 40.17 |
| 1982 | 6 564 | 375 | 166 | 209 | 57.1 | 25.3 | 31.8 | 7.86 | 132.0 | 40.30 |
| 1983 | 6 767 | 385 | 172 | 214 | 56.9 | 25.4 | 31.5 | 7.90 | 133.2 | 40.36 |
| 1984 | 6 974 | 399 | 179 | 219 | 57.1 | 25.7 | 31.4 | 7.92 | 134.8 | 40.06 |
| 1985 | 7 188 | 409 | 186 | 224 | 56.9 | 25.8 | 31.1 | 7.93 | 136.1 | 40.03 |
| 1986 | 7 408 | 418 | 191 | 227 | 56.4 | 25.8 | 30.6 | 7.90 | 137.0 | 40.13 |
| 1987 | 7 637 | 429 | 195 | 235 | 56.2 | 25.5 | 30.7 | 7.87 | 137.3 | 40.43 |
| 1988 | 7 872 | 438 | 198 | 240 | 55.6 | 25.1 | 30.5 | 7.84 | 136.9 | 40.79 |
| 1989 | 8 116 | 448 | 200 | 248 | 55.2 | 24.7 | 30.6 | 7.82 | 135.8 | 41.22 |
| 1990 | 8 371 | 462 | 202 | 260 | 55.2 | 24.1 | 31.1 | 7.81 | 134.2 | 41.85 |
| 1991 | 8 635 | 473 | 204 | 269 | 54.8 | 23.7 | 31.1 | 7.80 | 132.1 | 42.22 |
| 1992 | 8 908 | 486 | 205 | 281 | 54.5 | 23.0 | 31.5 | 7.80 | 129.2 | 42.95 |
| 1993 | 9 193 | 499 | 204 | 295 | 54.3 | 22.2 | 32.0 | 7.79 | 125.8 | 43.82 |
| 1994 | 9 493 | 512 | 203 | 309 | 54.0 | 21.4 | 32.5 | 7.79 | 121.9 | 44.71 |
| 1995 | 9 814 | 531 | 201 | 329 | 54.1 | 20.5 | 33.5 | 7.78 | 117.5 | 45.77 |
| 1996 | 10 150 | 548 | 201 | 347 | 53.9 | 19.8 | 34.2 | 7.76 | 113.2 | 46.68 |
| 1997 | 10 494 | 564 | 200 | 363 | 53.7 | 19.1 | 34.6 | 7.76 | 109.2 | 47.51 |
| 1998 | 10 855 | 580 | 201 | 379 | 53.4 | 18.5 | 34.9 | 7.76 | 105.7 | 48.19 |
| 1999 | 11 231 | 595 | 202 | 393 | 53.0 | 18.0 | 35.0 | 7.75 | 102.4 | 48.74 |
| 2000 | 11 623 | 612 | 203 | 410 | 52.7 | 17.4 | 35.2 | 7.73 | 99.2 | 49.32 |
| 2001 | 12 031 | 629 | 204 | 425 | 52.2 | 16.9 | 35.3 | 7.70 | 95.9 | 49.84 |
| 2002 | 12 457 | 646 | 203 | 443 | 51.8 | 16.3 | 35.6 | 7.67 | 92.2 | 50.56 |
| 2003 | 12 901 | 664 | 201 | 464 | 51.5 | 15.5 | 35.9 | 7.65 | 88.2 | 51.43 |
| 2004 | 13 367 | 683 | 196 | 487 | 51.1 | 14.7 | 36.4 | 7.63 | 84.0 | 52.59 |
| 2005 | 13 855 | 702 | 193 | 509 | 50.6 | 13.9 | 36.7 | 7.62 | 80.0 | 53.59 |
| 2006 | 14 365 | 720 | 189 | 531 | 50.1 | 13.2 | 36.9 | 7.58 | 76.0 | 54.60 |
| 2007 | 14 898 | 741 | 186 | 555 | 49.7 | 12.5 | 37.2 | 7.56 | 72.2 | 55.55 |
| 2008 | 15 455 | 762 | 183 | 580 | 49.3 | 11.8 | 37.5 | 7.54 | 68.5 | 56.51 |
| 2009 | 16 038 | 784 | 180 | 605 | 48.9 | 11.2 | 37.7 | 7.51 | 65.0 | 57.40 |
| 2010 | 16 648 | 808 | 176 | 632 | 48.5 | 10.6 | 37.9 | 7.49 | 61.8 | 58.37 |
| 2011 | 17 283 | 830 | 175 | 654 | 48.0 | 10.1 | 37.8 | 7.45 | 58.8 | 58.99 |
| 2012 | 17 954 | 851 | 174 | 676 | 47.4 | 9.7 | 37.7 | 7.40 | 56.3 | 59.65 |
| 2013 | 18 653 | 879 | 174 | 705 | 47.1 | 9.3 | 37.8 | 7.34 | 54.1 | 60.24 |
| 2014 | 19 372 | 906 | 175 | 731 | 46.8 | 9.0 | 37.7 | 7.28 | 52.1 | 60.79 |
| 2015 | 20 128 | 937 | 177 | 760 | 46.6 | 8.8 | 37.8 | 7.21 | 50.4 | 61.08 |
| 2016 | 20 922 | 973 | 178 | 795 | 46.5 | 8.5 | 38.0 | 7.14 | 48.7 | 61.63 |
| 2017 | 21 738 | 1 008 | 179 | 829 | 46.4 | 8.2 | 38.1 | 7.08 | 47.3 | 62.16 |
| 2018 | 22 577 | 1 042 | 182 | 860 | 46.1 | 8.1 | 38.1 | 7.02 | 45.9 | 62.45 |
| 2019 | 23 443 | 1 076 | 184 | 892 | 45.9 | 7.8 | 38.0 | 6.96 | 44.5 | 62.90 |
| 2020 | 23 781 | 1 010 | 226 | 784 | 42.6 | 9.5 | 33.1 | 6.37 | 66.5 | 59.9 |
| 2021 | 24 502 | 1 027 | 234 | 793 | 41.9 | 9.6 | 32.4 | 6.20 | 65.9 | 59.5 |
| 2022 | 25 312 | 1 062 | 232 | 830 | 42.0 | 9.2 | 32.8 | 6.14 | 65.3 | 60.4 |
| 2023 | 26 160 | 1 096 | 232 | 864 | 41.9 | 8.9 | 33.0 | 6.06 | 64.6 | 61.2 |

### Demographic and Health Surveys

Total fertility rate (TFR; Wanted Fertility Rate) and crude birth rate (CBR):
| Year | Total | Total | Urban | Urban | Rural | Rural |
| Year | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR |
| 1988 | | 7.51 | | | | |
| 1992 | | 7.37 (7,1) | | 6.71 (6,3) | | 7.52 (7,3) |
| 1998 | 52.8 | 7.5 (7,2) | 44.0 | 5.9 (5,6) | 55.0 | 7.9 (7,7) |
| 2006 | 46.1 | 7.1 (6,9) | 40.7 | 6.0 (5,6) | 47.1 | 7.4 (7,2) |
| 2012 | 46.6 | 7.6 (6,8) | 39.0 | 5.6 (4,7) | 48.1 | 8.1 (7,3) |
Fertility data as of 2012 (DHS Program):
| Region | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
| Agadez | 5.7 | 9.2 | 7.1 |
| Diffa | 6.4 | 11.0 | 6.3 |
| Dosso | 7.5 | 11.7 | 7.7 |
| Maradi | 8.4 | 16.4 | 9.0 |
| Tahoua | 7.3 | 13.0 | 7.5 |
| Tillabéri | 7.9 | 15.6 | 7.8 |
| Zinder | 8.5 | 17.3 | 8.6 |
| Niamey | 5.3 | 9.6 | 5.9 |

## Ethnic groups

Population of Niger according to ethnic group in 1988, 2001 and 2021 :
| Ethnic group | census 1988 | census 1988 | census 2001 | census 2001 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Ethnic group | # | % | # | % | # | % |
| Hausa | 3,770,927 | 53.0% | 6,069,731 | 55.4% | 12,534,662 | 53.1% |
| Zarma-Songhai | 1,511,341 | 21.2% | 2,300,874 | 21.0% | 5,004,423 | 21.2% |
| Tuareg | 739,202 | 10.4% | 1,016,883 | 9.3% | 2,596,634 | 11.0% |
| Fulani | 694,428 | 9.8% | 935,517 | 8.5% | 1,534,375 | 6.5% |
| Kanuri | 316,471 | 4.4% | 513,116 | 4.7% | 1,392,740 | 5.9% |
| Gurma | 19,714 | 0.3% | 39,797 | 0.4% | 188,846 | 0.8% |
| Toubou | 31,403 | 0.4% | 42,172 | 0.4% | 94,423 | 0.4% |
| Arab | 24,178 | 0.3% | 40,085 | 0.4% | 94,423 | 0.4% |
| Other | 12,265 | 0.2% | 5,951 | 0.1% | 212,451 | 0.9% |
| Total | 7,119,929 | 7,119,929 | 10,964,126 | 10,964,126 | 23,605,767 | 23,605,767 | 23,605,767 |

## Core health indicators

World Health Organization 2007 statistics: Core Health Indicators for Niger :
| Indicator | Indicator | Value | (year) |
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | males | 61.05 | (2015) |
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | females | 62.9 | (2015) |
| Healthy life expectancy (HALE) at birth (years) | males | 36.0 | (2002) |
| Healthy life expectancy (HALE) at birth (years) | females | 35.0 | (2002) |
| Probability of dying (per 1 000 population) between 15 and 60 years (adult mortality rate) | males | 502 | (2005) |
| Probability of dying (per 1 000 population) between 15 and 60 years (adult mortality rate) | females | 478 | (2005) |
| Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product | Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product | 4.2 | (2004) |
| Per capita total expenditure on health at international dollar rate | Per capita total expenditure on health at international dollar rate | 25.9 | (2004) |
| Population (in thousands) total | Population (in thousands) total | 13957 | (2005) |

## Religion

* Islam: 99.3%,
* Christianity: 0.3%,
* Animism: 0.2%
* None: 0.1% (2012 est.)

## Languages

* French (official)
* Hausa
* Zarma (Djerma)