Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk says Nigeria recorded about four million more births than the entire European Union last year, highlighting the country’s rapid population growth.
In a post on his X account on Saturday, Musk cited figures generated by his artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, which estimated that Nigeria recorded about 7.8 million births in 2025, compared with 3.5 million across the European Union.
The figures underscore Nigeria’s high birth rate, which continues to place increasing pressure on the country’s economy and public services.
Despite progress in birth registration, population growth remains a major development challenge.
Earlier this year, the United Nations Children’s Fund said 14 million Nigerian children had their births officially registered over the previous two years, marking a significant improvement in legal identity coverage.
However, the World Bank estimated that 63 per cent of Nigerians were living in poverty in 2025, amid rising living costs.
