Nigeria observed the 2025 World Population Day, aligning with the global community to raise awareness on population dynamics and their implications for sustainable development and human rights. This year’s theme, “Empowering Young People to Create the Families They Want in a Fair and Hopeful World,” highlights the nation’s current demographic turning point, with over 60% of the population under age 30.
The youthful demographic offers immense potential for development but poses challenges if existing barriers are not addressed. These include inadequate access to education and healthcare, unemployment, gender discrimination, and social exclusion. Without targeted intervention, this youthful population could become a demographic burden rather than a dividend.
The event served as a call to action for stakeholders—including government, development partners, civil society, and the private sector—to work collaboratively in creating a fair environment where young people can make informed and voluntary choices about their future and reproductive health.
The National Population Commission (NPC), which is constitutionally responsible for demographic data generation, reaffirmed its commitment to providing evidence-based inputs for policy and planning. Its work is currently focused on three strategic pillars to enhance youth-focused governance and national development.
The first pillar is the revitalization of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system. In partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, and development agencies, the Commission is digitizing the birth and death registration process. These efforts are designed to ensure that every Nigerian, particularly children, is formally registered and thus eligible for public services and rights.
The second pillar involves implementing Nigeria’s first fully digital Population and Housing Census. This exercise will gather comprehensive, disaggregated data—including age, gender, education, and housing conditions—critical for evidence-based decisions in key youth-related sectors like education, employment, and health.
The third pillar is the development of a National Geospatial Data Repository, integrating census and CRVS data with advanced geographic mapping tools. This system supports data visualization, service delivery monitoring, and identification of underserved areas, especially those with high youth populations and poor infrastructure.
In line with the 2025 observance, NPC partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other stakeholders to conduct youth consultations, media campaigns, stakeholder dialogues, and community engagement initiatives aimed at promoting youth empowerment and reproductive health rights.
NPC acknowledged the continued support from UNFPA in advancing reproductive health systems, strengthening data infrastructure, and promoting the empowerment of Nigerian youth. The partnership has been instrumental in the Commission’s capacity-building and development efforts.
The Commission also recognized the media’s vital role in ensuring accurate public awareness. The press acts as a crucial bridge between demographic data, policy frameworks, and public understanding, supporting efforts to build a well-informed and population-literate society.
The press briefing concluded with a strong reaffirmation that empowering young people is essential for Nigeria’s future. Investing in youth through inclusive, rights-based, and data-informed governance is fundamental to achieving sustainable development and national transformation.
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