Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has claimed that Nigeria recorded approximately four million more births than the entire European Union in 2025, drawing attention to the country’s rapidly growing population.
Musk made the statement on Saturday in a post on his social media platform, X, citing data generated by his artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.
“Nigeria alone had 4 million more births than the entire EU last year,” Musk wrote.
According to figures shared by Grok, Nigeria recorded an estimated 7.8 million births in 2025, while the European Union registered about 3.5 million births during the same period, leaving a gap of roughly four million births.
The figures underscore Nigeria’s significantly higher birth rate compared to the EU and have reignited discussions about the opportunities and challenges associated with the country’s fast-growing population.
Earlier this year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that about 14 million Nigerian children had their births officially registered over the previous two years, describing the achievement as a major milestone in expanding legal identity coverage across the country.
Despite its demographic growth, Nigeria continues to grapple with mounting economic pressures. According to World Bank data, the country’s poverty rate reached 63 per cent in 2025, with millions of Nigerians affected by rising inflation and the high cost of living.
Meanwhile, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, recently stated at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit that, for the first time, Nigeria’s economy was expanding faster than its estimated population of about 250 million people.
Musk’s comments have further spotlighted Nigeria’s population trajectory and the need for sustained investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure and job creation to support its growing population.
