Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside Canada 17 times.
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 237 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 3,540 m above Nigeria’s.
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 5.7 times as many people as Canada.
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 55 times as densely populated as Canada.
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Canada are 7.2 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Canada are 6.6 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 23 years older than in Nigeria.
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.1 more children on average than in Canada.
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Canada are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Canada has produced 5.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Canada: 5.3 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Canada: 2 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 8 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Canada produces 7 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Canada (Gini 2.4 points higher).
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Canada spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Canada: 1.3% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Canada’s price level (US = 100) is 6.5× Nigeria’s.
Canada: 83% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Canada spends 95 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Canada live 27 years longer than in Nigeria.
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 15 times as likely to die before turning one as in Canada.
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Canada has 7.4 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Canada smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Canada rate their lives 1.95 points higher than in Nigeria.
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 4.5 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 13 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 1,120 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 331 more hours a year than in Canada.
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 6.3 years longer than in Nigeria.
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Canada welcomed 208 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Canada are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Canada: 94% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Canada have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Canada: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in Canada live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Canada: 83% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Canada has 94 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Canada: 94 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 14 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Canada fly 96 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Canada, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Canada: 39.5% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 23 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 7.1 times as much fine dust as in Canada.
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Canada.
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 3.7 times as deadly as in Canada.
Canada: 4.7 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 30.4 °C warmer than Canada.
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 53% more rain than Canada.
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than Nigeria?
Canada is larger. Nigeria fits inside Canada 17 times.
Which has more people, Canada or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 5.7 times as many people as Canada (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or Nigeria?
People in Canada live 27 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Canada or Nigeria?
Men in Canada are 7.2 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
