Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh fits inside Nigeria 6.3 times.
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 47% longer than Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 1,359 m above Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 35% more people than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 5.2 times as densely populated as Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 1,352 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 6.5 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Nigeria are 5.8 cm taller than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Bangladesh is 7.6 years older than in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.2 more children on average than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.14 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.7% of people in Bangladesh are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 6.7% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bangladesh and Nigeria are practically level.
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bangladesh and Nigeria are practically level.
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Bangladesh’s economy is 57% larger than Nigeria’s.
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Bangladesh produces 7% more per person than Nigeria.
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Bangladesh (Gini 3 points higher).
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Bangladesh, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Bangladesh and Nigeria are practically level.
Bangladesh: 0.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Bangladesh’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Nigeria’s.
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Nigeria spends 25% more on health per person than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Bangladesh live 20 years longer than in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Bangladesh has 90% more doctors per person than Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 5.7% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nigeria rate their lives 0.47 points higher than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Nigeria drink 699 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Nigeria has 58% more meat per person than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Bangladesh has 118 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 321 more hours a year than in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Nigeria went to school 0.8 years longer than in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Nigeria welcomed 18% more tourists per resident than Bangladesh (2019).
Bangladesh: 0 (2019) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Bangladesh has 1 more World Heritage site than Nigeria (3 against 2).
Bangladesh: 3 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
53% of people in Bangladesh are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Bangladesh have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Bangladesh has 108 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 23% longer than Bangladesh’s.
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Bangladesh fly 70% more passengers per resident than those from Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 14% of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 14.5% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Bangladesh emits 7% more CO₂ than someone in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 30% more fine dust than in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.7 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bangladesh are 8% deadlier than in Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 18.6 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 1.7 °C warmer than Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bangladesh gets 2 times as much rain as Nigeria.
Bangladesh: 2,096 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bangladesh bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Bangladesh fits inside Nigeria 6.3 times.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 35% more people than Bangladesh (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or Nigeria?
People in Bangladesh live 20 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or Nigeria?
Men in Nigeria are 6.5 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
