Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Nigeria 22 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 89% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 1,557 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 13 times as many people as the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 2.1 times as densely populated as Nigeria.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 12.2 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 12.2 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 24 years older than in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.0 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and Nigeria are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 4.6 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 9.2 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in the Netherlands (Gini 8.2 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 6.6× Nigeria’s.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 102 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 27 years longer than in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 82 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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 10 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.43 points higher than in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 10 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 997 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 623 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 5.1 years longer than in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 392 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 16% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 103 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 11 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 5.2 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 23 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 5.1 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 16.2 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 18% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Nigeria 22 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 13 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Nigeria?
People in the Netherlands live 27 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Nigeria?
Men in the Netherlands are 12.2 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
