Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside China 10 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 17 times as long as Nigeria’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,430 m above Nigeria’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Nigeria: 77.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 5.9 times as many people as Nigeria
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 74% more densely populated than China
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 4.1 cm taller than in Nigeria
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 5.3 cm taller than in Nigeria
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 21 years older than in Nigeria
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.4 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
China: 14.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Nigeria hosts 3,189 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
China: 0.1 (2026) · Nigeria: 0.042 (2026)
How many official languages?
China and Nigeria are practically level
China: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 67 times the size of Nigeria’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 3.1 times as much per person as Nigeria
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Nigeria (Gini 2.1 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · 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% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Nigeria: 41.8% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
China: 4.6% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Nigeria: 0.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
China: 7% (2024) · Nigeria: no data
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 3.7× Nigeria’s
China: 47% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 11 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
China: $763 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 23 years longer than in Nigeria
China: 78 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 17 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 8.2 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in China is 23% higher than in Nigeria
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
China: 22.8% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 1.29 points higher than in Nigeria
China: 6.07 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 81% more alcohol than in Nigeria
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 10 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 1,057 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 266 more hours a year than in Nigeria
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 0.45 years longer than in Nigeria
China: 8 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China welcomed 20 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 59 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (61 against 2)
China: 61 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
China: 92% (2025) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 8.3 times as fast as in Nigeria
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
China: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
China: 66% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
China: 132 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 31 times as long as Nigeria’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 20 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
China: 0.44 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 19% of Nigeria
China: 24% (2024) · Nigeria: 18.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 15 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria
China: 37% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 60% more fine dust than in China
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 31 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
China and Nigeria are nearly identical here
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 19.6 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 28% more rain than China
China: 813 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 China bigger than Nigeria?
China is larger. Nigeria fits inside China 10 times.
Which has more people, China or Nigeria?
China has 5.9 times as many people as Nigeria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Nigeria?
People in China live 23 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in China or Nigeria?
Men in China are 4.1 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
