Ijaw people

Ijaw

Ijo-Izon
Ijaw statue depicting “the many faces of the enemy”
Total population
14.39 million[1]
Regions with significant populations
Niger Delta
Languages
Ijaw languages
Religion
Christianity 90% Islam 0.1% Traditional 5%
Related ethnic groups
Ekpeye, Oron, Igbo, Ogoni, Isoko, Eleme.

The Ijaw people, also known as the Ịjọ people,^[2] are an ethnic group found in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria, with primary population clusters^[3][4] in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers.^[5] They also have significant population clusters in Edo,^[6] Lagos, Ondo.^[7][8] and small parts of Akwa Ibom.^[9][10][11]

The Ijaw people are located in about 29 of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas,^[12][13] primarily across six Nigerian states.^[14][15] Many are found as migrant fishermen in fishing camps and settlements in Benue,^[16] and Kogi states and as far west as Sierra Leone, Ghana^[17] and as far east as Gabon.

Census data from Nigeria’s National Population Commission recorded the Ijaw population at 5.3 million in 1991, making up 5.9% of the country’s 88.9 million people at the time. By 2006, their population had grown to 8.42 million, representing around 6% of Nigeria’s 140.4 million people. As of 2024, Nigeria’s Ijaw population is estimated at approximately 14.39 million,^[18] accounting for 6.1% of Nigeria’s 233.9 million people, placing them as the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria.^[19][20]

The Ijaws are the most populous ethnic group in the Niger Delta and are considered among the world’s oldest peoples.^[21][22] Historically, the Ijaw have lived near key maritime trade routes and participated in trade activities as early as the late 14th and early 15th centuries.^[23][24]

The Ijaw languages include about 20 closely related varieties, with Central Izon being the most widely spoken. Other languages in this group include Kalabari, Ogbia, Epie, Abua, Okrika, Andoni, Ibani, Nembe amongst others. The term Izon is commonly used as an endonym to describe the broader Ijaw ethnic nationality.^[25][26]