Population Pyramid
Figure 2.1 Age 80+ 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4
Male
10
8
6
Female
4
2
0
2
4
6
8
10
Percent NDHS 2003
2.2
HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
Information about the composition of households by sex of the head of the household and size of the household is presented in Table 2.2. The data show that households in Nigeria are predominantly headed by men (83 percent) and less than one in five (17 percent) are headed by women. Female-headed households are more common in urban areas (19 percent) than in rural areas (15 percent). There is significant variation by region: the proportion of households headed by a female ranges from a low of 7 percent in the North East to a high of 28 percent in the South South. The average household size in Nigeria is 5.0 persons. The household size is slightly higher in rural areas than in urban areas (5.1 versus 4.7 persons). It is also higher in the north than the south.
12 | Household Population and Housing Characteristics