Nigeria's Birth Rate Surpasses EU by Four Million

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, claimed on his X account that Nigeria had four million more births than the entire European Union in 2025. According to Musk, who cited his artificial intelligence chatbot Grok, Nigeria recorded an estimated 7.8 million births, while the European Union had 3.5 million births.

This significant difference underscores Nigeria's high birth rate, which continues to strain its economy. In February 2026, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 14 million Nigerian children had their births officially registered over the previous two years, indicating progress in legal identity coverage.

However, Nigeria's high birth rate is a concern as the country faces economic difficulties, with the World Bank reporting a poverty rate of 63 percent in 2025, exacerbated by rising living costs.