Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iran is 89% bigger than Nigeria
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as Nigeria’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 3,206 m above Nigeria’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Nigeria: 77.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 2.6 times as many people as Iran
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 4.6 times as densely populated as Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 4.1 cm taller than in Nigeria
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 3.0 cm taller than in Nigeria
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 15 years older than in Nigeria
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.7 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 16 times as many refugees per resident as Nigeria
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Nigeria: 0.042 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Nigeria are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 25% larger than Nigeria’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 2.1 times as much per person as Nigeria
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Nigeria (Gini 2 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (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 2.5% in Iran
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Nigeria: 41.8% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 0.9% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Iran’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Nigeria’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 4 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Iran: $267 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 23 years longer than in Nigeria
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 6.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 4.8 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Nigeria: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Nigeria is 8% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.36 points higher than in Nigeria
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Nigeria drink 98 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 4.2 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 405 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 184 more hours a year than in Nigeria
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 3.3 years longer than in Nigeria
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 28 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (30 against 2)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Iran: 85% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Iran: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
Iran: 77% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Iran: 174 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 2.7 times as long as Nigeria’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 8.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of Nigeria, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 18.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 15 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 33% more fine dust than in Iran
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.6 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Iran
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 17% deadlier than in Nigeria
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 8.1 °C warmer than Iran
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 3.8 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 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 Iran bigger than Nigeria?
Iran is larger. Iran is 89% bigger than Nigeria.
Which has more people, Iran or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 2.6 times as many people as Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Nigeria?
People in Iran live 23 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Iran or Nigeria?
Men in Iran are 4.1 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
