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No, Christians do not constitute more than half of Nigeria’s population

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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screenshot of a post claiming christians constitute 57% of Nigeria population

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An X user, @VivianRora, has claimed that 57 per cent of Nigerians practice the Christian religion.

She wrote: “Muslim–Muslim ticket is partially Islamization. In a country that’s 57% Christian, two Muslims leading isn’t just politics; it’s Islamization. And as a Christian, I’m offended.”

The post has generated over 5000 likes and more than 2,000 reposts as of the time of this report.

CLAIM

Christians constitute more than half of Nigeria’s population.

screenshot of a post claiming Christians constitute 57% of the Nigeria population

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The claim went viral due to the recent allegation of Christian genocide in Nigeria. Recall that the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post later shared on the official White House X handle, announced that he had designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing what he described as “an existential threat to Christianity.”

READ: Trump affirms plan to sue BBC for $1 Billion over edited speech

“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ — but that is the least of it,” Trump wrote.

Since the claim was made, there have been various claims on the proportion of the Christian and muslim population in Nigeria.

However, checks on authoritative demographic sources do not support the assertion that Christians make up 57 per cent of Nigeria’s population.

The Pew Research Centre, based in the United States, is one of the most widely referenced global authorities on religious demographics, including in Nigeria. Its population estimates are frequently cited by governments, researchers, international organisations, and media outlets because the centre uses large-scale surveys, global datasets, and long-term projections to study religious affiliation trends.

When discussing the proportion of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, Pew’s reports, such as its Religion and Public Life studies and global religious composition forecasts, are often treated as benchmark references due to their methodological rigour and international credibility. For instance, the U.S. Department of State’s 2022 International Religious Freedom Report cites its 2015 findings on the proportion of Christians and muslims in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Kwankwaso did NOT delete X post reacting to Trump’s comment

According to the centre, Muslims made up a majority of Nigeria’s total population (56.1%), while Christians made up 43.4% as of 2020. While all other groups made up 0.6% of the national population.

The Centre noted that Nigeria has the world’s fifth-largest Muslim population and its sixth-largest Christian population. It is also the only country that ranks among both the 10 largest Muslim populations and the 10 largest Christian populations.

Similarly,  the CIA World Factbook’s 2018 estimate put the population at 53.5 per cent Muslim and 45.9 per cent Christian.

More recent demographic modelling by Statista shows a similar balance, placing Islam at 50.5 per cent of the population and Christianity at 45.5 per cent, with traditional religions making up the remainder.

Additionally, the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), in its 2025 projection, estimates 46.3 per cent Muslims and 45.8 per cent Christians, also showing near parity.

None of these reputable datasets places the Christian population at above 50 per cent.

The FactCheckHub sent a direct message to the X user, @VivianRora, for the source of her data, but she has not replied as of the time of filing this fact check.

VERDICT

The claim that Christians constitute 57 per cent of Nigeria’s population is FALSE. Multiple credible demographic sources consistently show that the population of Christians in Nigeria is less than half, with no credible evidence supporting the figure cited in the viral post.

 

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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