Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Italy fits inside Nigeria 3.1 times
Italy: 302,070 km² (2024) · Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 8.9 times as long as Nigeria’s
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 2,329 m above Nigeria’s
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 44% of Italy
Italy: 43.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 77.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 4 times as many people as Italy
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 31% more densely populated than Italy
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Italy are 2.9 cm taller than in Nigeria
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Italy are 3.7 cm taller than in Nigeria
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 30 years older than in Nigeria
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.2 more children on average than in Italy
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Italy hosts 6.3 times as many refugees per resident as Nigeria
Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Italy: 3.4 (2026) · Nigeria: 0.042 (2026)
How many official languages?
Italy and Nigeria are practically level
Italy: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 8.8 times the size of Nigeria’s
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 6.6 times as much per person as Nigeria
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Nigeria (Gini 0.4 points higher)
Italy: 34.3 (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 0.9% in Italy
Italy: 0.9% (2023) · Nigeria: 41.8% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Italy spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Italy: 1.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 0.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy: 25.6% (2024) · Nigeria: no data
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 5.4× Nigeria’s
Italy: 69% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 51 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 29 years longer than in Nigeria
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 30 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 11 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Nigeria is 14% higher than in Italy
Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
18% of adults in Italy are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 1.79 points higher than in Nigeria
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Italy drink 4.1 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 10 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 1,283 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 360 more hours a year than in Italy
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Italy went to school 3.2 years longer than in Nigeria
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 423 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019)
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 60 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (62 against 2)
Italy: 62 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
Italy: 829 (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Italy: 89% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Italy is 6.3 times as fast as in Nigeria
Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Italy have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Italy: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
Italy: 70% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Italy: 133 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 4.9 times as long as Nigeria’s
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Italy fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Italy: 0.34 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Italy, but only 19% of Nigeria
Italy: 31.8% (2024) · Nigeria: 18.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 8.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 3.3 times as much fine dust as in Italy
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 28 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Italy
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 2.9 times as deadly as in Italy
Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 13.5 °C warmer than Italy
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 1% more rain than Italy
Italy: 1,030 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 Italy bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Italy fits inside Nigeria 3.1 times.
Which has more people, Italy or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 4 times as many people as Italy (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Nigeria?
People in Italy live 29 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Italy or Nigeria?
Men in Italy are 2.9 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
