Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Philippines fits inside Nigeria 3.1 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 43 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 535 m above Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 2 times as many people as the Philippines.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · Philippines: 117 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 50% more densely populated than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · Philippines: 392 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 6.3 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Nigeria are 4.0 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Philippines is 7.5 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · Philippines: 25.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.5 more children on average than in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
5.7% of people in the Philippines are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Philippines: 5.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Philippines has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · Philippines: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · Philippines: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Philippines’ economy is 68% larger than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · Philippines: $487 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Philippines produces 32% more per person than Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in Nigeria (Gini 5.4 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · Philippines: 39.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.1% in Nigeria, versus 2.2% in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Philippines: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Philippines spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · Philippines: 1.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Philippines’ price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · Philippines: 33% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Philippines spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · Philippines: $194 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Philippines live 15 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · Philippines: 69.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Philippines has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · Philippines: 9.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · Philippines: 19.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Philippines rate their lives 1.42 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · Philippines: 6.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Philippines drink 3 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Philippines has 4.7 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Philippines has 513 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 34 more hours a year than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Philippines went to school 2.4 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · Philippines: 10 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Philippines welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · Philippines: 0.02 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
67% of people in the Philippines are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · Philippines: 67% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
95% of people in the Philippines have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · Philippines: 94.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · Philippines: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Philippines has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · Philippines: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 6.9 times as long as the Philippines’.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · Philippines: 509 km (2016)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Philippines fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · Philippines: 0.36 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of the Philippines, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · Philippines: 24.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Philippines emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · Philippines: 1.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · Philippines: 23.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.6 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 77% deadlier than in the Philippines.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 1.1 °C warmer than the Philippines.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 2.9 times as much rain as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than the Philippines?
Nigeria is larger. The Philippines fits inside Nigeria 3.1 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or the Philippines?
Nigeria has 2 times as many people as the Philippines (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or the Philippines?
People in the Philippines live 15 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 69.9 in the Philippines.
Are people taller in Nigeria or the Philippines?
Men in Nigeria are 6.3 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
