NBS Demographic Bulletin 2023 Highlights Displacement and Population Trends
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released its comprehensive Demographic Bulletin for 2023, revealing critical data on internal displacement, population estimates, and health indicators across Nigeria. The report, compiled from administrative sources and surveys, serves as a vital tool for policy formulation and research.
Internal Displacement Crisis: Borno and Benue at the Forefront
According to the NBS, a staggering 3,381,228 persons were internally displaced across 14 states in Nigeria during 2023. This figure underscores the ongoing humanitarian challenges facing the nation.
Borno State accounted for the largest share of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), with 1,711,481 individuals, representing 50.62 per cent of the total. This highlights the severe impact of conflict and instability in the region.
Benue State followed with 394,567 individuals (11.67 per cent), while Katsina State recorded 244,380 individuals (7.23 per cent). In contrast, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Kano states reported the lowest shares of IDPs at 52,383, 20,580, and 15,549, respectively.
Population Estimates: Kano and Lagos Lead
The report also detailed Nigeria's projected population from the National Population Commission (NPC), which stood at 221,250,127 in 2023. This includes 112,434,239 males and 108,815,888 females.
At the sub-national level, Kano State remained the most populous with 15,671,491 people, followed by Lagos State at 13,710,862 and Katsina State at 10,661,373. Nasarawa and Bayelsa were listed as the least populous states, with 2,948,849 and 2,583,352 residents, respectively.
Health and Economic Insights
On reproductive health, the report indicated that maternal conditions accounted for the largest share of expenditure in 2022, representing 50.22 per cent of capital spending and 52.46 per cent of recurrent spending.
Findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021 showed that the proportion of women receiving antenatal care from a skilled provider increased from 50 per cent in 2011 to 67 per cent in 2018, but slightly decreased to 63 per cent in 2021.
Anambra State had the lowest proportion of women with unmet needs for birth spacing at 3.8 per cent, meaning only a small percentage of women wanting to space births lacked access to family planning methods.
Economic data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed that the United Kingdom remained the highest source of inward remittances to Nigeria in 2023, contributing $12.38 billion, compared to $12.76 billion in 2022. The United States recorded the highest outward remittance flow at $13.12 million in 2022.
Additionally, the bulletin reported 968 cases of human trafficking in 2023, with foreign travel linked to prostitution accounting for the highest number of cases at 173.
