The Nigerian population in the UK has reached an estimated 550,000 in 2025, a significant increase from around 300,000 in 2021.
This figure was mentioned by a UK representative, who noted that changes in the visa regime following Brexit had enabled more Nigerians to come to the UK for work, live, and study.
For official statistics, data from the Office for National Statistics and the UK Census provides specific figures on Nigerian-born residents:
In the 2021 Census, there were 270,768 Nigerian-born residents in England and Wales.
The total number of Nigerian-born residents across the entire UK in 2021 was approximately 312,000.
The number has risen substantially since the 2011 Census, which recorded 191,183 Nigerian-born residents in England and Wales.
Recent migration data from the year ending December 2024 shows that approximately 52,000 Nigerians immigrated to the UK within that specific year, primarily for work (27,000) and study (22,000) purposes.
