Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria

Nigeria: Lakes and rivers permanent water area was 1,664 kmsq in 2022. β–² Rising

Latest (2022)
1,664 kmsq
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
50th
of 212 countries
All-time high
1,811 kmsq
in 2015
All-time low
397.87 kmsq
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria, 2000–2022

5001.0k1.5k2.0k2000201120222000: 397.9 kmsq2001: 710.9 kmsq2002: 1.0k kmsq2003: 1.4k kmsq2004: 1.6k kmsq2005: 1.5k kmsq2006: 1.5k kmsq2007: 1.5k kmsq2008: 1.5k kmsq2009: 1.5k kmsq2010: 1.5k kmsq2011: 1.6k kmsq2012: 1.7k kmsq2013: 1.7k kmsq2014: 1.8k kmsq2015: 1.8k kmsq2016: 1.8k kmsq2017: 1.8k kmsq2018: 1.7k kmsq2019: 1.7k kmsq2020: 1.6k kmsq2021: 1.7k kmsq2022: 1.7k kmsq

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in kmsq.

Analysis

The most recent figure for lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria is 1,664 kmsq, measured in 2022.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria peaked at 1,811 kmsq in 2015 and was at its lowest, 397.87 kmsq, in 2000.

Nigeria ranks 50th of 212 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,256 kmsq 397.87 kmsq 1,570 kmsq 10
2010s 1,710 kmsq 1,547 kmsq 1,811 kmsq 10
2020s 1,652 kmsq 1,639 kmsq 1,664 kmsq 3

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 47 Anguilla, United Kingdom-British Overseas Territory 1.38 kmsq compare
  2. 47 Madagascar, Republic of 1,816 kmsq compare
  3. 48 Ecuador 1,746 kmsq compare
  4. 49 Romania 1,679 kmsq compare
  5. 49 St. Helena 0.2 kmsq compare
  6. 50 Cook Islands 0.1572 kmsq compare
  7. 51 Iceland 1,662 kmsq compare
  8. 51 Niue 0.1085 kmsq compare
  9. 52 Chad 1,649 kmsq compare
  10. 52 Montserrat, United Kingdom-British Overseas Territory 0.0114 kmsq compare
  11. 53 Bangladesh 1,633 kmsq compare

See the full ranking of 277 places β†’

More environment data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria?
Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria was 1,664 kmsq in 2022, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 1,811 kmsq in 2015.
What is the lowest lakes and rivers permanent water area recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 397.87 kmsq in 2000.
How does Nigeria rank for lakes and rivers permanent water area?
Nigeria ranks 50th out of 212 countries with data for 2022.
Is lakes and rivers permanent water area rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lakes and rivers permanent water area in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/lakes-and-rivers-permanent-water-area-square-kilometres/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (square kilometres)
Unit
kmsq
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
277 places, 6,369 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed