Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside India 3.6 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 8.2 times as long as Nigeria’s.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 6,167 m above Nigeria’s.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 6.2 times as many people as Nigeria.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 89% more densely populated than Nigeria.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 5.1 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Nigeria are 3.0 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in India is 10 years older than in Nigeria.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.4 more children on average than in India.
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.4% of people in India are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
India: 7.4% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
India has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
India: 0.1 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, Nigeria 1.
India: 3 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 14 times the size of Nigeria’s.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
India produces 23% more per person than Nigeria.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in India (Gini 8.4 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in India, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
India: 4.2% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
India: 2.3% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
India’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Nigeria’s.
India: 23% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
India spends 27% more on health per person than Nigeria.
India: $85 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in India live 18 years longer than in Nigeria.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in India.
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
India has 90% more doctors per person than Nigeria.
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 8.0% in India.
India: 8% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
India: 22.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nigeria rate their lives 0.25 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in India drink 2.6 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
India has 14% more meat per person than Nigeria.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
India has 198 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 321 more hours a year than in Nigeria.
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Nigeria went to school 0.71 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
India welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
India: 0.01 (2024) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
70% of people in India are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
India: 70% (2025) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in India have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
India: 99.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
India has 79 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
India: 79 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 19 times as long as Nigeria’s.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from India fly 5.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
India: 0.12 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of India, but only 23% of Nigeria.
India: 24.5% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in India emits 3.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in India.
India: 24.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 13% more fine dust than in India.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.6 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in India.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 18% deadlier than in India.
India: 14.6 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 3.0 °C warmer than India.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 22% more rain than Nigeria.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than Nigeria?
India is larger. Nigeria fits inside India 3.6 times.
Which has more people, India or Nigeria?
India has 6.2 times as many people as Nigeria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or Nigeria?
People in India live 18 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in India or Nigeria?
Men in Nigeria are 5.1 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
