The Growth of Lagos

How fast Lagos is growing?

As we explored in the last section, Lagos’s population is growing rapidly, though no one can agree on its actual size. Less than a million people lived in Lagos in 1960. By 1990, it reached four million and just over 12 million by 2015. The population of Lagos is estimated to be 16.5 million in 2024. Estimates are higher at over twenty million if the surrounding area’s population is included.

Lagos’s physical area and population have also grown. The Settlement was originally located on Lagos Island, but the city has since grown onto the mainland. Rapid urbanisation occurred during the 1970s oil boom when many thousands of people migrated to the area seeking employment opportunities. The growth of Lagos continued into the 1980s and 1990s.

Lagos Growth Map – source http://futurecapetown.com

What are the causes of population growth in Lagos?

Rural-urban migration has been the main driver of growth in Lagos over the past 50 years. Push factors, such as the lack of job opportunities and low wages, encourage people to leave the countryside, while pull factors, such as the prospect of well-paid work and the attraction of an urban lifestyle, bring them to the city.

Another reason for Lagos’ population growth is the high rate of natural increase in the city’s population. This is due to the city’s youthful population since most migrants to the city are young. Nigeria is becoming an increasingly urbanised country. By 2015, just over half the population still lived in rural areas, but as rural-urban migration continues, the majority will be urban within the next few years.

How do push and pull factors lead to rural-urban migration?

Education and health services are poor in rural areas. The changing climate is making the weather less predictable. Droughts and floods occur more often now.

Farming pays low wages but requires a lot of hard work. Few job opportunities exist other than farming. There is a land shortage due to population growth.

Despite urbanisation, the rural population continues to grow. The land is degraded due to farming and other activities. The oil industry pollutes land in the Niger Delta region. Political unrest creates insecurity. The terrorist group Boko Haram is active in the north of Nigeria.

Wider reading:

Lagos – The megacity set to triple by 2050 – BBC

Population of African cities to triple – The Guardian