At least 176,537 Nigerians were granted British citizenship between 2005 and the first quarter of 2026, according to official UK Home Office data obtained by The PUNCH.
Nigeria recorded the highest number of citizenship grants among African nationalities during the period, ahead of South Africa with 128,156 and Somalia with 86,972. Globally, Nigeria ranked third, behind India and Pakistan.
The data showed that Nigerians submitted 201,077 citizenship applications during the same period, making Nigeria the leading African nationality and the third-highest worldwide in applications.
Citizenship grants to Nigerians increased significantly in recent years. A total of 12,562 Nigerians became British citizens in 2024, up 41.1 percent from 8,900 in 2023. The figure rose slightly to 12,620 in 2025, while another 3,001 Nigerians received citizenship in the first quarter of 2026.
Applications also climbed from 9,454 in 2022 to 15,370 in 2025, the highest annual figure recorded in the dataset.
Naturalisation based on residence accounted for the largest share of citizenship grants to Nigerians, with 58,680 grants, representing 33.2 percent of the total. Registration of minor children accounted for 34,979 grants, while 20,583 were granted through naturalisation based on marriage to a British citizen.
Women accounted for 88,364 grants, while men received 88,073. Adults aged 30 to 49 represented the largest age group, with 55,559 grants.
The 176,537 Nigerian citizenship grants represented 19.3 percent of all 912,818 citizenship grants to African nationals during the period.
To qualify for British citizenship, most adult applicants must meet requirements including indefinite leave to remain, a minimum period of residence, passing the Life in the UK test, meeting English-language requirements and satisfying the Home Office's good-character assessment.
Recent changes to the UK's citizenship rules have made the good-character requirement stricter, particularly for people who entered the country illegally or after undertaking certain dangerous journeys. The policy has also faced a legal challenge in the High Court.
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