The following table presents a listing of Nigeria's 36 states ranked in order of their total population based on the 2006 census figures, [1] as well as their 2020 projected populations, which were published by the National Bureau of Statistics. [2]
| State | Population | Area (km2) | Density (2006) (per km2) | Density (2020) (per km2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2020 | ||||
| Kano State | 9,401,288 | 16,253,549 | 20,131 | 467 | 807.39 |
| Lagos State | 9,113,605 | 15,772,884 | 3,345 | 2724.55 | 4,715.36 |
| Katsina State | 5,801,584 | 9,300,382 | 24,192 | 239.81 | 384.44 |
| Kaduna State | 6,113,503 | 8,324,285 | 46,053 | 132.75 | 180.75 |
| Bauchi State | 4,653,066 | 7,540,663 | 45,893 | 101.39 | 164.31 |
| Oyo State | 5,580,894 | 7,512,855 | 28,454 | 196.14 | 264.08 |
| Anambra State | 5,177,828 | 7,899,910 | 4,844 | 1068.91 | 1,507.26 |
| Rivers State | 5,198,716 | 7,234,973 | 11,077 | 469.33 | 653.01 |
| Jigawa State | 4,361,002 | 6,979,080 | 23,154 | 188.35 | 301.38 |
| Niger State | 3,954,772 | 6,720,617 | 76,363 | 51.79 | 87.99 |
| Benue State | 4,253,641 | 6,687,706 | 34,059 | 124.89 | 196.34 |
| Borno State | 4,171,104 | 6,651,590 | 70,898 | 66.53 | 93.80 |
| Ogun State | 3,751,140 | 6,445,275 | 16,762 | 223.79 | 384.52 |
| Sokoto State | 3,702,676 | 6,163,187 | 25,973 | 142.56 | 237.34 |
| Delta State | 5,112,445 | 7,107,543 | 17,698 | 288.87 | 401.58 |
| Imo State | 3,927,563 | 7,067,722 | 5,530 | 710.22 | 1,097.70 |
| Kebbi State | 3,256,541 | 6,001,610 | 36,800 | 88.49 | 163.10 |
| Ondo State | 3,460,877 | 5,469,707 | 15,500 | 223.28 | 352.24 |
| Akwa Ibom State | 3,902,051 | 5,780,581 | 7,081 | 551.05 | 816.11 |
| Edo State | 3,233,366 | 5,527,810 | 17,802 | 181.63 | 289.89 |
| Zamfara State | 3,278,873 | 5,517,793 | 39,762 | 82.46 | 138.75 |
| Plateau State | 3,206,531 | 5,400,974 | 30,913 | 103.73 | 174.67 |
| Enugu State | 3,267,837 | 6,196,098 | 7,161 | 456.33 | 753.71 |
| Adamawa State | 3,178,950 | 5,236,948 | 36,917 | 86.11 | 141.84 |
| Kogi State | 3,314,043 | 5,053,734 | 29,833 | 111.08 | 169.04 |
| Abia State | 2,845,380 | 4,841,943 | 5,243 | 542.7 | 923.59 |
| Federal Capital Territory | 1,406,239 | 4,802,443 | 7,315 | 192.24 | 656.93 |
| Gombe State | 2,365,040 | 4,623,462 | 20,265 | 116.7 | 228.77 |
| Yobe State | 2,321,339 | 4,350,401 | 45,502 | 51.01 | 95.57 |
| Taraba State | 2,294,800 | 4,331,885 | 54,473 | 42.13 | 79.53 |
| Kwara State | 2,365,353 | 4,259,613 | 36,825 | 64.23 | 115.88 |
| Osun State | 3,416,959 | 4,237,396 | 14,875 | 229.71 | 285.27 |
| Cross River State | 2,892,988 | 4,175,020 | 20,156 | 143.53 | 207.85 |
| Ebonyi State | 2,176,947 | 4,007,155 | 5,670 | 383.94 | 706.88 |
| Nasarawa State | 1,869,377 | 3,632,239 | 27,110 | 68.96 | 134.87 |
| Ekiti State | 2,398,957 | 3,398,177 | 6,353 | 377.61 | 534.83 |
| Bayelsa State | 1,704,515 | 2,394,725 | 21,110 | 80.74 | 113.58 |
