Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside India 3.6 times
India: 3,287,260 km² (2024) · Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 60% of India
India: 59.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 77.1% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
Nigeria hosts 3.2 times as many refugees per resident as India
India: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (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 (2026) · Nigeria: 0.042 (2026)
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 10.9 points higher)
India: 23 (2023) · 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 2.6% in India
India: 2.6% (2023) · Nigeria: 41.8% (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 0.9%
India: 2.3% (2025) · Nigeria: 0.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
India: 6.9% (2022) · Nigeria: no data
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 many hospital beds are there?
India: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Nigeria: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in India is 2.4 times that in Nigeria
India: 15.3 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (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: 0.0023 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
India has 43 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (45 against 2)
India: 45 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
India has won 41 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
India: 41 (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in India is 2.1 times as fast as in Nigeria
India: 91 Mbps (2026) · Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026)
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 24% of India, but only 19% of Nigeria
India: 24.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 18.9% (2024)
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 India are 3% deadlier than in Nigeria
India: 25.4 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
