# Yorùbá People

> The Yorùbá are one of Nigeria's three largest ethnic groups, native to south-western Nigeria, parts of Kwara and Kogi states, and neighbouring Benin and Togo. Population estimates range from roughly 40 million to 50 million people, tracing cultural origin to the city of Ile-Ife and, historically, to the [[oyo-empire]]. A large Yorùbá diaspora, rooted in the transatlantic slave trade, still shapes religious practice across the Americas.

**Category:** People & Ethnicity · **Updated:** 2026-07-23 00:55:07 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/yoruba-people

## Key facts
- **Core region:** South-western Nigeria; also Kwara, Kogi; Benin, Togo
- **Population estimates:** c. 40–50 million (varies by source and year)
- **Share of Nigeria's population:** No accepted ethnic census since 1963; recent estimates put Yorùbá at c. 21%
- **Language:** Yorùbá (Niger-Congo, Volta-Niger) — see [[yoruba-language]]
- **Cultural centre:** Ilé-Ifẹ̀, traditionally regarded as the origin point of Yorùbá civilisation
- **Historic empire:** [[oyo-empire]], dominant Yorùbá power c. 1650–1830s
- **Traditional ruler's title:** Ọba (king); Aláàfin at Oyo, Ọ̀ọ̀ni at Ilé-Ifẹ̀

## Sources
- Yoruba people — EBSCO Research Starters (https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/ethnic-and-cultural-studies/yoruba-people)
- Yoruba Religion and Culture in the Americas — Encyclopedia.com (https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/yoruba-religion-and-culture-americas)
- Oyo Empire — World History Encyclopedia (https://www.worldhistory.org/Oyo_Empire/)
- In the News: The Nigerian Census — Population Reference Bureau (https://www.prb.org/resource/in-the-news-the-nigerian-census/)
- Largest Ethnic Groups In Nigeria — WorldAtlas (https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/largest-ethnic-groups-in-nigeria.html)

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