Age and growth of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus from Lake Hayq were studied from June 8, 2022 to June 7, 2023. A total of 738 otoliths were collected from the shore, open water and river mouth sites of the lake for otolith macrozone analysis. Otoliths were ground and examined under a dissecting microscope at 7−40X magnification for the presence of translucent and opaque macrozones using a reflected light source. The age of the fish was determined from the total number of translucent macrozones counted in the otoliths considering the time of translucent zone formation. The collected samples ranged from 9.3 to 32 cm in total length (TL) and from 14 to 495 g in total weight (TW). However of the fish sampled, 87.7 % were ≤ 13 cm. The maximum life span of O. niloticus was 6 years. A strong relationship between otolith length and otolith weight (r2 > 0.88) was found in O. niloticus. The relationships between fish length and otolith (length) were (r2 > 0.92). In O. niloticus, otolith weight was found to be best correlated with fish weight (r2 > 0.81) and nearly the same correlation was discovered between otolith length and otolith weight. Oreochromis niloticus caught in Lake Hayq has asymptotic length (L∞ = 31 cm) and have a growth rate (k) 0.90/year, growth performance index (Ø′L =2.93 and scientific information related to growth parameters is one of the fundamental factors for population management in an aquatic area.