Diffa: population, poverty, health, schools, farming, water and roads
Diffa is a region of Niger, number 7 of 8 by population. Niger's Institut National de la Statistique projects the population of the Diffa region at 872,672 on 1 July 2024 (447,116 male, 425,556 female), 3.3% of Niger's 26.31 million; 2nd smallest of the 8 regions. Niger's last census was in 2012, so the regional figures are projections from that count.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Diffa: 13.8% of women aged 15 to 49 in Diffa were working at the time of the 2021 survey, against 72.7% of men; 3rd lowest of the 8 regions for women.
- Health in Diffa: For every 1,000 babies born in Diffa in the ten years before the 2021 ENAFEME survey, 42 died before their first birthday and 72 before their fifth; the under-five rate is 3rd lowest of the 8 regions (Niger, last five years: 72 and 123).
- Education in Diffa: Primary-school enrolment in Diffa equalled 64.4% of children of primary-school age in 2022-23 (gross enrolment ratio; boys and girls above or below the official age count too), 4th lowest of the 8 regions (Niger: 68.5%); the primary completion rate was 34% (Niger: 47.9%).
- Poverty and living standards in Diffa: 46.4% of people in Diffa lived below the national poverty line in 2021/22, according to the INS harmonised household living-conditions survey (EHCVM), 3rd highest of the 8 regions (Niger: 41.2%).
How fast is Diffa's population growing?
The projections add 29,302 people to Diffa between 2023 and 2024, growth of 3.47% in a year (Niger: 3.72%); the 2012 census counted 593,821, so the population has grown by 47% in twelve years.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger · saved copyHow many people in Diffa live in towns?
14.8% of Diffa's people are projected to live in towns in 2024 (129,040 urban, 743,632 rural), 3rd most urban of the 8 regions (Niger: 15.9%).
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger · saved copyHow many children do women in Diffa have?
Women in Diffa have 6.8 children each on average, according to the 2021 national fertility and child-mortality survey (ENAFEME), 2nd highest of the 8 regions (Niger: 6.2); the 2012 survey found 6.4.
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger (with Utica International) · saved copyAre births registered in Diffa?
64.2% of children under five in Diffa had their birth registered with the civil registry in 2021, and 29.4% had a birth certificate; 2nd lowest of the 8 regions (Niger: 65.9%).
Source: Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger (with Utica International) · saved copyHow regions are governed in Niger
Regions (8; 7 are also regional authorities, plus the city of Niamey). Governor appointed by central government; regional councils were elected in 2020 but dissolved in April 2024. Regional development; governor oversees legality.
Every tier of government in Niger
Other regions of Niger
- Zinder 5,468,988
- Maradi 5,249,420
- Tahoua 5,138,552
- Tillabéri 4,202,834
- Dosso 3,172,644
- Niamey 1,492,414
- Agadez 714,509
Up a level: Niger · government and power in Niger · cities
Sources
- Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger: Annuaire statistique 2020-2024 (Statistical Yearbook, edition 2025): Tables 07.01, 08.01 (population projections), 11.03 (poverty), 12.02-12.04 (health), 14.14 (BEPC), 21.02 (millet), 22.01 (livestock), 25.02 (water), 28.16 and 28.20 (roads), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c7e47842c0e2…)
- Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger (with Utica International): Enquête Nationale sur la Fécondité et la Mortalité des Enfants de moins de cinq ans (ENAFEME) 2021, final report: regional rows of Tables 2.6, 2.11, 2.13, 3.3, 3.6, 5.2, 7.4, 8.5, 9.3, 11.3 and 13.7, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7d40b59f5faa…)
- Institut National de la Statistique (INS), Niger: Tableau de bord social N°9 (Social Dashboard, May 2025): Tables 11, 24, 30 and 37 by region, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7342fb1c24dd…)
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