Nigeria Administrative Divisions

What is the hierarchy of administrative divisions in Nigeria?

Nigeria operates on a 3‑level system starting with 37 states, then local government areas, and areas, 2 cities as the smallest administrative units.

Here’s a breakdown of the hierarchy:

1. States: Nigeria is divided into 37 states.

2. Local Government Areas: States are subdivided into local government areas.

3. Areas, 2 Cities: These are the smallest administrative units, often found within local government areas.

List of Nigeria's administrative divisions with their counts and names

These are the summarized administrative divisions. The full dataset is available in the Download Center.

iso	country	admin level 1	admin level 2	admin level 3	admin level 4
NG	Nigeria	Abia (State)	17 Local Government Areas	124 Areas, 2 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Abuja (FCT) (Federal Capital Territory)	6 Local Government Areas	1 City, 25 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Adamawa (State)	21 Local Government Areas	3 Cities, 99 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Akwa Ibom (State)	31 Local Government Areas	134 Areas, 1 City	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Anambra (State)	21 Local Government Areas	168 Areas, 2 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Bauchi (State)	20 Local Government Areas	1 City, 63 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Bayelsa (State)	8 Local Government Areas	1 City, 9 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Benue (State)	23 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 74 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Borno (State)	27 Local Government Areas	3 Cities, 44 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Cross River (State)	18 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 75 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Delta (State)	25 Local Government Areas	125 Areas, 4 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Ebonyi (State)	13 Local Government Areas	1 City, 85 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Edo (State)	18 Local Government Areas	108 Areas, 2 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Ekiti (State)	16 Local Government Areas	3 Cities, 40 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Enugu (State)	17 Local Government Areas	167 Areas, 1 City	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Gombe (State)	11 Local Government Areas	1 City, 54 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Imo (State)	27 Local Government Areas	235 Areas, 3 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Jigawa (State)	27 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 31 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Kaduna (State)	23 Local Government Areas	156 Areas, 2 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Kano (State)	44 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 41 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Katsina (State)	34 Local Government Areas	35 Areas, 3 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Kebbi (State)	21 Local Government Areas	46 Areas, 4 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Kogi (State)	21 Local Government Areas	1 City, 52 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Kwara (State)	16 Local Government Areas	1 City, 44 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Lagos (State)	20 Local Government Areas	13 Areas, 3 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Nasarawa (State)	13 Local Government Areas	45 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Niger (State)	25 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 40 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Ogun (State)	20 Local Government Areas	4 Cities, 56 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Ondo (State)	18 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 88 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Osun (State)	30 Local Government Areas	106 Areas, 5 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Oyo (State)	33 Local Government Areas	3 Cities, 77 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Plateau (State)	17 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 89 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Rivers (State)	23 Local Government Areas	25 Areas, 2 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Sokoto (State)	23 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 33 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Taraba (State)	16 Local Government Areas	2 Cities	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Yobe (State)	17 Local Government Areas	2 Cities, 39 Areas	This level doesn’t exist for this country.
NG	Nigeria	Zamfara (State)	14 Local Government Areas	18 Areas, 1 City	This level doesn’t exist for this country.

Why is building an Administrative Divisions Database complex?

The complexity arises from inconsistent global standards, frequent boundary changes, non-uniform naming conventions (e.g., “suburb” in Australia vs. “county” in the US), and variations in administrative levels across countries. Integrating and harmonizing data from multiple sources requires advanced normalization, versioning, and geospatial validation techniques.

How does GeoPostcodes solve the problem for you?

Our standardized database overcomes the complexity of different administrative division
systems worldwide. Our database follows a unified structure that you can integrate
seamlessly into your system or platform of choice without needing to become an expert in
each country’s unique administrative hierarchy.

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