Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside Australia 8.4 times
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2024) · Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 30 times as long as Nigeria’s
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 191 m above Australia’s
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 47% of Australia
Australia: 47.3% (2024) · Nigeria: 77.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 8.6 times as many people as Australia
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 73 times as densely populated as Australia
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Australia are 7.2 cm taller than in Nigeria
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 6.5 cm taller than in Nigeria
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Australia is 20 years older than in Nigeria
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.9 more children on average than in Australia
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Australia are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Australia hosts 2.3 times as many refugees per resident as Nigeria
Australia: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Australia has produced 3.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Australia: 3.6 (2026) · Nigeria: 0.042 (2026)
How many official languages?
Australia and Nigeria are practically level
Australia: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 6.2 times the size of Nigeria’s
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Australia produces 7.5 times as much per person as Nigeria
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Nigeria and Australia are practically level
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
42% of people in Nigeria live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.9% in Australia
Australia: 0.9% (2020) · Nigeria: 41.8% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.1% in Australia, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Australia spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Australia: 1.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 0.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Australia: 23.6% (2022) · Nigeria: no data
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 7× Nigeria’s
Australia: 91% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 104 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 28 years longer than in Nigeria
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 23 times as likely to die before turning one as in Australia
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 11 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Australia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2016) · Nigeria: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Australia is 94% higher than in Nigeria
Australia: 12.6 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Australia smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Australia rate their lives 2.13 points higher than in Nigeria
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 5.2 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 16 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 1,092 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 451 more hours a year than in Australia
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 5.3 years longer than in Nigeria
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Australia has 19 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (21 against 2)
Australia: 21 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Australia has won 619 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
Australia: 619 (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Australia are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Australia: 96% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Australia is 6 times as fast as in Nigeria
Australia: 261 Mbps (2026) · Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Australia have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Australia: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
Australia: 88% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Australia has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Australia: 113 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 9.2 times as long as Nigeria’s
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 113 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of Nigeria, but only 17% of Australia
Australia: 17.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 18.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 25 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Australia’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 9.3 times as much fine dust as in Australia
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 18 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Australia
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 3.3 times as deadly as in Australia
Australia: 7.5 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 4.9 °C warmer than Australia
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 2.3 times as much rain as Australia
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than Nigeria?
Australia is larger. Nigeria fits inside Australia 8.4 times.
Which has more people, Australia or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 8.6 times as many people as Australia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or Nigeria?
People in Australia live 28 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Australia or Nigeria?
Men in Australia are 7.2 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
