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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · Nigeria · Africa

Owerri

Imo State · Nigeria
City population
545,000
#27
in Nigeria
#1
in Imo State
#1,026
worldwide
AbujaOwerri
5.484, 7.033 · 401 km from Abuja
City population
545,000
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in Nigeria
#27
of 268 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#1,026
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of Nigeria
0.2%
of the national population

About Owerri

At 401 km from Abuja, Owerri is the largest city in Imo State with a population of 545,000. The city holds 0.2% of Nigeria's national population and ranks 27th among the country's 268 listed cities. Nkwerre lies 32 km away with 62,973 residents, while Ihiala, 46 km distant, has 83,265 inhabitants.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in Nigeria
#27of 268
LargestSmallest
Position in Imo State
#1of 4
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
Nigeria
Region
Imo State
Rank in region
#1of 4
Distance to capital
401 km
to Abuja
Elevation
73 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Africa/Lagos
Coordinates
5.484, 7.033
Record updated
2026-04-14
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.

Nearby Cities

All 268 in Nigeria

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

32KMNkwerre63K people35KMOguta22K people46KMIhiala83K people49KMElele21K people51KMUga64K people

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. Owerri545K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Owerri compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
Owerri545K

Owerri Population FAQ

What is the population of Owerri?

Owerri has a city population of 545,000. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Owerri?

Owerri is in Imo State, Nigeria, 401 km from the capital, Abuja. Its coordinates are 5.484, 7.033.

How big is Owerri compared with other cities in Nigeria?

It is the 27th largest of the 268 cities of 15,000 or more listed in Nigeria, holding 0.2% of the national population.

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