Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Nigeria 13 times.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 70% longer than Nigeria’s.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 1,378 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 43 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 3.3 times as densely populated as Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 7.5 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 6.4 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 21 years older than in Nigeria.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.9 more children on average than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 2.5 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 16 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Ireland (Gini 4.9 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Ireland, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 4.6% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Nigeria and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 6.6× Nigeria’s.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 111 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 28 years longer than in Nigeria.
Ireland: 83 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 21 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 10 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 2.14 points higher than in Nigeria.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 5 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 14 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 1,451 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 408 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 4.1 years longer than in Nigeria.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 950 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Ireland have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ireland has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 2.1 times as long as Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 1,582 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 12% of Ireland.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 11 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 6.8 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 24 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 6.1 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 17.1 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 9% more rain than Nigeria.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Ireland fits inside Nigeria 13 times.
Which has more people, Ireland or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 43 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or Nigeria?
People in Ireland live 28 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Ireland or Nigeria?
Men in Ireland are 7.5 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
