Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria

Nigeria: Air transport, passengers carried was 5.27 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.27 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
60th
of 183 countries
All-time high
7.79 million
in 2018
All-time low
173,000
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria, 1970–2023

02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M197019962023

Source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Analysis

In 2023, air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria stood at 5.27 million.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria peaked at 7.79 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 173,000, in 1970.

That places Nigeria 60th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria, 1970 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1970 173,000
1971 227,100 +31.3%
1972 286,800 +26.3%
1973 314,100 +9.5%
1974 430,300 +37.0%
1975 590,400 +37.2%
1976 800,800 +35.6%
1977 1.09 million +36.6%
1978 1.44 million +31.7%
1979 1.58 million +9.7%
1980 1.94 million +22.6%
1981 2.30 million +18.7%
1982 2.14 million -7.0%
1983 2.22 million +3.9%
1984 1.95 million -12.4%
1985 2.58 million +32.3%
1986 2.13 million -17.1%
1987 1.61 million -24.3%
1988 995,000 -38.4%
1989 848,900 -14.7%
1990 964,800 +13.7%
1991 930,000 -3.6%
1992 646,500 -30.5%
1993 608,400 -5.9%
1994 664,800 +9.3%
1995 547,900 -17.6%
1996 221,200 -59.6%
1997 318,200 +43.9%
1998 313,400 -1.5%
1999 419,700 +33.9%
2000 507,396 +20.9%
2001 519,453 +2.4%
2002 520,278 +0.2%
2003 520,263 -0.0%
2004 540,461 +3.9%
2005 747,648 +38.3%
2006 1.31 million +74.9%
2007 1.36 million +4.3%
2008 1.46 million +7.1%
2009 1.37 million -6.5%
2010 4.20 million +207.4%
2011 4.79 million +14.2%
2012 4.72 million -1.6%
2013 4.21 million -10.7%
2014 4.46 million +6.0%
2015 4.61 million +3.4%
2016 4.11 million -10.9%
2017 4.79 million +16.5%
2018 7.79 million +62.6%
2019 6.54 million -16.0%
2020 3.44 million -47.5%
2021 4.49 million +30.6%
2022 5.21 million +16.2%
2023 5.27 million +1.1%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 5.27 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 690,677, 7.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's 5.27 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 109,542, 48.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2010 +207.4% 1.37 million 4.20 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 693,870 173,000 1.58 million 10
1980s 1.87 million 848,900 2.58 million 10
1990s 563,490 221,200 964,800 10
2000s 885,272 507,396 1.46 million 10
2010s 5.02 million 4.11 million 7.79 million 10
2020s 4.60 million 3.44 million 5.27 million 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 57 Denmark 6.43 million compare
  2. 58 Bahrain 5.73 million compare
  3. 59 Bolivia 5.60 million compare
  4. 61 Kenya 5.14 million compare
  5. 62 Uzbekistan 4.85 million compare
  6. 63 Ecuador 4.57 million compare

See the full ranking of 230 places →

More infrastructure data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria?
Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria was 5.27 million in 2023, according to Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
What is the highest air transport, passengers carried recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 7.79 million in 2018.
What is the lowest air transport, passengers carried recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 173,000 in 1970.
How does Nigeria rank for air transport, passengers carried?
Nigeria ranks 60th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is air transport, passengers carried rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), published as part of Air transport, passengers carried. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Air transport, passengers carried in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/air-transport-passengers-carried/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Air transport, passengers carried
Source
Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
230 places, 10,242 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

Air carrier data per country refers to passengers carried by airlines registered in that country regardless of the origin or destination of the passengers.