Although Lagos state is the smallest state in Nigeria, with an area of 356,861 hectares of which 75,755 hectares are wetlands, yet it has the highest population, which is over five per cent of the national estimate.
The state has a population of 17 million out of a national estimate of 150 million.
The UN estimates that at its present growth rate, Lagos state will be third largest mega city the world by Y2015 after Tokyo in Japan an Bombay in India.
Of this population, Metropolitan Lagos, an area covering 37% of the land area of Lagos State is home to over 85% of the State population. T
he rate of population growth is about 600,000 per annum with a population density of about 4,193 persons per sq. km.
In the built-up areas of Metropolitan Lagos, the average density is over 20,000 persons per square km.
Current demographic trend analysis revealed that the State population growth rate of 8% has resulted in its capturing of 36.8% of Nigeria’s urban population (World Bank, 1996) estimate at 49.8 million people of the nation’s million population.
The implication is that whereas country population growth is 4/5% and global 2%, Lagos population is growing ten times faster than New York and Los Angeles with grave implication for urban sustainability.