Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria is 56% bigger than Kenya.
Kenya: 591,969 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 59% longer than Kenya’s.
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 2,780 m above Nigeria’s.
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 4.1 times as many people as Kenya.
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 2.6 times as densely populated as Kenya.
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 1.1 cm taller than in Kenya.
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kenya are 1.3 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kenya is 1.8 years older than in Nigeria.
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 1.2 more children on average than in Kenya.
Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Nigeria and Kenya are practically level.
Kenya: 3% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Kenya: 0.2 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Kenya: 2 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Nigeria’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Kenya’s.
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Nigeria produces 36% more per person than Kenya.
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in Nigeria (Gini 4.6 points higher).
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Kenya and Nigeria are practically level.
Kenya: 1% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Kenya’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Nigeria’s.
Kenya: 34% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kenya spends 27% more on health per person than Nigeria.
Kenya: $85 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Kenya live 9.2 years longer than in Nigeria.
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Kenya.
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Nigeria has 31% more doctors per person than Kenya.
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 10% in Kenya.
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
9.6% of adults in Kenya smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Nigeria rate their lives 0.11 points higher than in Kenya.
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kenya drink 10% more alcohol than in Nigeria.
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Kenya has 43% more meat per person than Nigeria.
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Nigeria has 324 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya.
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 27 more hours a year than in Kenya.
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kenya went to school 1 year longer than in Nigeria.
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kenya welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
41% of people in Nigeria are online, versus 35% in Kenya.
Kenya: 35% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
77% of people in Kenya have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Kenya: 77% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya.
Kenya: 32% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kenya has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Kenya: 126 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 8% longer than Nigeria’s.
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Kenya fly 4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Kenya: 0.09 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 6.2% of Kenya.
Kenya: 6.2% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Nigeria emits 55% more CO₂ than someone in Kenya.
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Kenya: 90% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in Kenya.
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.2 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Kenya.
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 64% deadlier than in Nigeria.
Kenya: 28.2 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 1.7 °C warmer than Kenya.
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 50% more rain than Kenya.
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Nigeria is 56% bigger than Kenya.
Which has more people, Kenya or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 4.1 times as many people as Kenya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or Nigeria?
People in Kenya live 9.2 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Kenya or Nigeria?
Men in Nigeria are 1.1 cm taller than in Kenya (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
