Nigeria

=== Religion ===
{{disputed section|date=November 2023}}
{{main|Religion in Nigeria}}
{{see also|Secularism in Nigeria}}
{{Multi image
| image1      = Catedral Nacional em Abuja, Nigéria.jpg
| image2      = Abuja Central mosque.jpg
| image3 = The Cathedral Church of Christ Marina..jpg 
| image4 =
| direction     = vertical
| caption1    = [[National Christian Centre|National Church of Nigeria, Abuja]]
| caption2    = [[Abuja National Mosque]]
| caption3 = [[Cathedral Church of Christ, Lagos|The Cathedral Church of Christ Marina]]
| caption4 = [[Anglican Diocese on the Niger|Cathedral Church of All Saints]] 
| total_width = 250
}}
Nigeria is a religiously diverse society, with [[Islam]] (predominantly in the north) and [[Christianity]] (predominantly in the south) being the most widely professed religions. Nigerians are nearly equally divided into [[Muslims]] and [[Christians]], with a tiny minority of adherents of [[traditional African religions]] and other religions.<ref name="Cia 19">CIA Factbook: Nigeria [https://web.archive.org/web/20190110080854/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/fields/401.html] (retrieved 9 May 2020)</ref> The Christian share of Nigeria's population is in decline because of the lower [[Total fertility rate|fertility rate]] compared to Muslims in the country.<ref>{{cite journal |last=McKinnon |first=Andrew |year=2021 |title=Christians, Muslims and Traditional Worshippers in Nigeria: Estimating the Relative Proportions from Eleven Nationally Representative Social Surveys |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13644-021-00450-5?platform=hootsuite |journal=Review of Religious Research |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=303–315 |doi=10.1007/s13644-021-00450-5 |hdl-access=free |hdl=2164/16008 |s2cid=233821494}}</ref> As in other parts of Africa where Islam and Christianity are dominant, religious [[syncretism]] with the traditional African religions is common.<ref>Chitando, Ezra (editor: Afe Adogame), ''African Traditions in the Study of Religion, Diaspora and Gendered Societies'', [[Routledge]] (2016), p. 31, {{ISBN|9781317184188}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=VMjeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31]</ref>

A 2012 report on religion and public life by the [[Pew Research Center]] stated that in 2010, 49.3% of Nigeria's population was Christian, 48.8% was Muslim, and 1.9% were followers of indigenous and other religions (such as the [[Hausa animism|Bori]] in the North) or unaffiliated.<ref name="Pew Forum on Religion2">{{cite web |date=18 December 2012 |title=Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Percentages |url=http://features.pewforum.org/grl/population-percentage.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101080244/http://features.pewforum.org/grl/population-percentage.php |archive-date=1 January 2013 |work=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref> However, in a report released by Pew Research Center in 2015, the Muslim population was estimated to be 50%, and by 2060, according to the report, Muslims will account for about 60% of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/01/the-countries-with-the-10-largest-christian-populations-and-the-10-largest-muslim-populations/|title=The countries with the 10 largest Christian populations and the 10 largest Muslim populations|first=Jeff|last=Diamant}}</ref> The 2010 census of [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] has also reported that 48.8% of the total population was Christian, slightly larger than the Muslim population of 43.4%, while 7.5% were members of other religions.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title=Religious Adherents, 2010 – Nigeria |url=http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_166_2.asp |access-date=28 July 2013 |publisher=World Christian Database |archive-date=16 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016175434/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_166_2.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, these estimates should be taken with caution because sample data is mostly collected from major urban areas in the south, which are predominantly Christian.<ref name="Regional Distribution of Christians2">{{cite web |date=19 December 2011 |title=Regional Distribution of Christians |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-regions/ |access-date=28 July 2014 |publisher=Pewforum.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-muslim/Regional|title=Distribution of Christians}}{{dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=27 January 2011 |title=The Future of the Global Muslim Population |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/ |access-date=28 July 2014 |publisher=Pewforum.org}}</ref>  According to a 2018 estimate in The [[World Factbook]] by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], the population is estimated to be 53.5% Muslim, 45.9% Christian (10.6% Roman Catholic and 35.3% Protestant and other Christian), and 0.6% as other.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/|title=Nigeria - The World Factbook|website=[[CIA]]|date=6 February 2024 }}</ref>

Islam dominates northwestern Nigeria and northeastern Nigeria ([[Hausa, Kanuri people|Kanuri]], Fulani and other groups). In the west, the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] people are predominantly Muslim with a significant Christian minority in addition to a few adherents of traditional religions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Research note: Exploring survey data for historical and anthropological research: Muslim–Christian relations in south-west Nigeria |url=https://academic.oup.com/view-large/35408497 |publisher=Academic.oup.com |access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref> [[Protestant]] and locally cultivated Christianity are widely practised in Western areas, while [[Roman Catholicism]] is a more prominent Christian feature of southeastern Nigeria. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are observed in the Ibibio, [[Efik people|Efik]], [[Ijaw people|Ijo]] and [[Ogoni people|Ogoni]] lands of the south. The [[Igbo people|Igbos]] (predominant in the east) and the [[Ibibio people|Ibibio]] (south) are 98% Christian, with 2% practising traditional religions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nigeria: a secular or multi religious state – 2 |url=http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/columnist/thursday/jide-osuntokun/46858-nigeria-a-secular-or-multi-religious-state-2.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306085141/http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/columnist/thursday/jide-osuntokun/46858-nigeria-a-secular-or-multi-religious-state-2.html |archive-date=6 March 2014 |access-date=15 April 2014}}</ref> The [[Middle Belt|middle belt]] of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria, who were found to be majority Christians and members of traditional religions, with a significant Muslim minority.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 November 2004 |title=The Middle Belt: History and politics |url=http://www.nasarawastate.org/newsday/news/culture/11129114540.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229202021/http://www.nasarawastate.org/newsday/news/culture/11129114540.html |archive-date=29 February 2012 |access-date=13 March 2012 |publisher=Nasarawastate.org}}</ref>

==== Conflicts ====
Since mid-2010, [[Boko Haram]] has terrorised northeastern Nigeria. In the following 12 years, according to the Council on Foreign Relations' "Nigeria Security Tracker", over 41,600 people died because of this group (as of October 2022).<ref name=":9">{{cite web |title=Nigeria Security Tracker |url=https://www.cfr.org/nigeria/nigeria-security-tracker/p29483 |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Council on Foreign Relations}}</ref> Millions of people fled south or to the big cities, such as Maiduguri.

However, the formula "Muslims against Christians" falls short.<ref>{{cite book |last=Olojo |first=Akinola Ejodame |title=Muslims, Christians and religious Violence in Nigeria: Patterns and mapping (2006-2014) |year=2016 |publisher=IFRA-Nigeria |isbn=979-1-09231255-3 |location=Leiden, Ibadan |pages=91–111}}</ref> Despite Boko Haram's murderous hostility towards Christians, most of their victims have always been Muslims, not least because the insurgency is taking place in a predominantly Muslim part of the country, mainly [[Borno State|Borno state]] in the far [[North East (Nigeria)|northeast of Nigeria]].<ref name=":9" /> The killing of such a large number of Muslims by Boko Haram, based on a broad definition of apostasy, is believed to have been one of the reasons for the group's split in 2016.<ref name=":10">{{cite web |title=Conflict in Nigeria Is More Complicated Than "Christians vs. Muslims" |url=https://www.cfr.org/blog/conflict-nigeria-more-complicated-christians-vs-muslims |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Council on Foreign Relations}}</ref> Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) data shows (as of March 2022) that Boko Haram attacks on churches have decreased over time, while attacks on mosques have increased.<ref name=":9" /> The lower number of Christian fatalities at the hands of Boko Haram probably reflects the fact that most of them have fled.<ref name=":10" />

Boko Haram has been in decline since at least March 2022. 40,000 of its fighters surrendered in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Report |first=Agency |date=2022-03-24 |title=Over 40,000 terrorists surrender to troops – DHQ |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/519364-over-40000-terrorists-surrender-to-troops-dhq.html |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Premium Times Nigeria |language=en-GB}}</ref> Since 2021, the [[Islamic State – West Africa Province|Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP)]] appears more dominant than Boko Haram. ISWAP is, for example, credited with the church attack in Owo at Pentecost 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Okogba |first=Emmanuel |date=2022-08-16 |title=Arrest of Owo church massacre suspects |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/08/arrest-of-owo-church-massacre-suspects/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Vanguard News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sunday |first=Ochogwu |date=2022-08-11 |title=Owo Church massacre: Two more ISWAP terrorists arrested, identities revealed |url=https://dailypost.ng/2022/08/11/owo-church-massacre-two-more-iswap-terrorists-arrested-identities-revealed/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Daily Post Nigeria |language=en-US}}</ref>