Nigeria’s demographic future is barreling forward with breathtaking momentum: in 2025, an estimated 112.8 million Nigerians will be under the age of 18, according to new figures from the UN World Population Prospects. This means nearly half of Nigeria’s population—47.5%—will be children, a proportion that places the country 21st globally by youth share, but far ahead of every other nation in absolute numbers.

To put this in perspective, Nigeria will have roughly the same number of children as the entire population of the Philippines, the world’s 13th-most populous country. This makes Nigeria not just Africa’s demographic giant, but a youth superpower in sheer scale.

A Double-Edged Sword

This youthful explosion holds promise—and peril. Demographers call it a “youth bulge,” a phenomenon that can ignite unprecedented economic growth if matched by investments in education, healthcare, and jobs. The swelling ranks of tech-savvy young Nigerians are already fueling booms in fintech, entertainment, and the creative economy.

But the same numbers are a ticking time bomb. In a country where GDP per capita has collapsed to a mere $807 in 2025—the lowest in a generation—millions of these children are being raised in poverty, many outside the reach of quality schools or stable healthcare.

Power grids buckle under demand. Classrooms are overcrowded. Universities turn away qualified students for lack of space. The job market simply cannot absorb the legions of young people entering adulthood each year.

Fertile Ground for Chaos

The implications are stark. Nigeria’s youth have become easy prey for extremist ideologies and criminal networks. From Boko Haram’s child soldiers in the northeast to banditry and kidnapping epidemics sweeping the northwest, idle, disenfranchised youth are both the fodder and fuel of Nigeria’s growing security nightmares.

This vast army of children is coming of age at a time when trust in government is dangerously low and social contracts are fraying. Already, anger over poverty and inequality has erupted into protests—from the #EndSARS demonstrations to countless localized riots against power failures, police brutality, and hunger.

Without urgent, far-reaching investments to turn this youth surge into a demographic dividend, Nigeria risks watching its greatest asset become its gravest liability.

The Bottom Line

As the rest of the world grays, Nigeria is hurtling in the opposite direction. Africa is the youngest continent, with a median age of just 19—and Nigeria sits at its demographic epicenter.

Whether this translates into a vibrant, innovative economy or a cauldron of unrest depends on what Nigeria does next. Education reforms, infrastructure expansion, reliable power, and robust social safety nets are not optional luxuries—they are existential imperatives.

If not, the haunting reality will be millions of children growing up with little hope, and a nation unable to harness its own youthful energy. In such a volatile mix, the seeds of tomorrow’s crises are already being sown today.