Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Belgium fits inside Nigeria 30 times.
Belgium: 30,689 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 13 times as long as Belgium’s.
Belgium: 67 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 1,725 m above Belgium’s.
Belgium: 694 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 20 times as many people as Belgium.
Belgium: 11.9 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Belgium is 50% more densely populated than Nigeria.
Belgium: 392 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Belgium are 7.5 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Belgium: 179.1 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Belgium are 5.3 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Belgium: 163.4 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Belgium is 24 years older than in Nigeria.
Belgium: 41.4 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.9 more children on average than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.44 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Belgium are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 21% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Belgium has produced 7.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Belgium: 7.5 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Belgium has 3 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Belgium: 3 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Belgium’s economy is 2.5 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Belgium: $725 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Belgium produces 7.8 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Belgium: Int$74,676 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Belgium (Gini 7.1 points higher).
Belgium: 26.8 (2023) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Belgium, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 5.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Belgium spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Belgium: 1.3% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Belgium’s price level (US = 100) is 6.3× Nigeria’s.
Belgium: 81% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Belgium spends 89 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Belgium: $5,931 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Belgium live 28 years longer than in Nigeria.
Belgium: 82.3 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 Belgium.
Belgium: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Belgium has 9.4 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Belgium: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Belgium are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 22.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Belgium smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 23.5% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Belgium rate their lives 2.14 points higher than in Nigeria.
Belgium: 6.93 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Belgium drink 4.7 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Belgium: 9.5 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Belgium has 8.4 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Belgium: 60 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Belgium has 1,451 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Belgium: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 468 more hours a year than in Belgium.
Belgium: 1,593 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Belgium went to school 5.1 years longer than in Nigeria.
Belgium: 12.7 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Belgium welcomed 351 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Belgium: 0.81 (2024) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Belgium are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 96% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Belgium have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Belgium live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 88% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Belgium has 104 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Belgium: 104 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Belgium’s railway network is 2% longer than Nigeria’s.
Belgium: 3,612 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Belgium fly 43 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Belgium: 0.95 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 23% of Belgium.
Belgium: 22.6% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Belgium emits 12 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Belgium: 7.3 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Belgium’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Belgium: 38.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 5.4 times as much fine dust as in Belgium.
Belgium: 9.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 15 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Belgium.
Belgium: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 3.7 times as deadly as in Belgium.
Belgium: 4.6 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 16.4 °C warmer than Belgium.
Belgium: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 12% more rain than Belgium.
Belgium: 928 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Belgium bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Belgium fits inside Nigeria 30 times.
Which has more people, Belgium or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 20 times as many people as Belgium (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Belgium or Nigeria?
People in Belgium live 28 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Belgium and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Belgium or Nigeria?
Men in Belgium are 7.5 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
