Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside Nigeria 10 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 68 m above Portugal’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 22 times as many people as Portugal.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 2.2 times as densely populated as Portugal.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Portugal are 2.8 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 3.1 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 28 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.0 more children on average than in Portugal.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and Portugal are practically level.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Portugal’s economy is 19% larger than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 5.6 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Nigeria and Portugal are practically level.
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal spends 1.5% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 4.7× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 44 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 28 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 26 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 15 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Portugal are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Portugal rate their lives 1.24 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 6.8 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 14 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 1,083 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 327 more hours a year than in Portugal.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Portugal went to school 2.1 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 1,170 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Portugal are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Portugal have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 40% longer than Portugal’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 76 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Portugal emits 5.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 4.8 times as much fine dust as in Portugal.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 22 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Portugal.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 2.4 times as deadly as in Portugal.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 11.5 °C warmer than Portugal.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 34% more rain than Portugal.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than Portugal?
Nigeria is larger. Portugal fits inside Nigeria 10 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or Portugal?
Nigeria has 22 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 28 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Nigeria or Portugal?
Men in Portugal are 2.8 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
