Quick facts
Ile-Ife overview
Ile-Ife (orange) and the other large cities of Nigeria
Ile-Ife lies in Osun State in Nigeria at 7.48°N, 4.56°E, about 295 m above sea level. The local time zone is Africa/Lagos (UTC+1); GeoNames classifies it as a district seat.
It is smaller than Osogbo (645,000) and larger than Ogbia (549,774). The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos with 15,388,000 people; the capital, Abuja, has 2,690,000.
The national capital, Abuja, is about 367 km away; the nearest large city is Gbongan, 23 km from Ile-Ife.
Nigeria as a whole has a live population of 243,867,752 (+2% a year) and ranks #6 of 238 countries — see the Nigeria population page for the full statistics and the Nigeria atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Cities near Ile-Ife
Largest cities in Nigeria
| # | City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos | Lagos | 15,388,000 |
| 2 | Kano | Kano State | 4,910,000 |
| 3 | Ibadan | Oyo State | 3,649,000 |
| 4 | AbujaCapital | FCT | 2,690,000 |
| 5 | Port Harcourt | Rivers State | 2,120,000 |
| 6 | Kaduna | Kaduna State | 1,850,000 |
| 7 | Benin City | Edo State | 1,782,000 |
| 8 | Onitsha | Anambra | 1,553,000 |
| 9 | Aba | Abia State | 1,160,000 |
| 10 | Maiduguri | Borno State | 1,110,000 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Ile-Ife?
Ile-Ife has about 560,000 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Ile-Ife the capital of Nigeria?
No. The capital of Nigeria is Abuja (2,690,000 people), about 367 km away. Ile-Ife is the 23rd largest city of the country and a district seat.
How big is Ile-Ife compared with the rest of Nigeria?
Its 560,000 residents are 0.2% of the 243,867,752 people living in Nigeria today. Lagos is larger with 15,388,000 people.
Where is Ile-Ife?
In Osun State, Nigeria, at latitude 7.48 and longitude 4.56, 295 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Gbongan (23 km), Ilesa (26 km), Ede (31 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Ile-Ife Population 2026 — Nigeria. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/nigeria/ile-ife/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/nigeria/ile-ife/">Ile-Ife Population 2026 — Nigeria</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.