Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside Nigeria 2.4 times.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 35 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,357 m above Nigeria’s.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 93% more people than Japan.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 30% more densely populated than Nigeria.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Japan and Nigeria are practically level.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Japan and Nigeria are practically level.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 31 years older than in Nigeria.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.2 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Japan: 30% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Japan and Nigeria are practically level.
Japan: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 15 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 5.8 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Japan (Gini 1.6 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.1% in Nigeria, versus 2.5% in Japan.
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 5.1× Nigeria’s.
Japan: 65% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 54 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 29 years longer than in Nigeria.
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 39 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 7 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 1.34 points higher than in Nigeria.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 3.1 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 8.4 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Japan has 200 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 408 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 5.1 years longer than in Nigeria.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 128 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Japan: 86% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Japan: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Japan: 92% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Japan: 178 (2023) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 5.7 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 44 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 4.8 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 69 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 6.4 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 14.7 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 75% more rain than Nigeria.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Japan fits inside Nigeria 2.4 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 93% more people than Japan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Nigeria?
People in Japan live 29 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Japan or Nigeria?
Japan and Nigeria are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
