Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside Russia 19 times
Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 44 times as long as Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 3,223 m above Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 13% of Russia
Nigeria: 77.1% (2024) · Russia: 13.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 66% more people than Russia
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 30 times as densely populated as Russia
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 5.1 cm taller than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 6.4 cm taller than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 22 years older than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.0 more children on average than in Russia
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Nigeria hosts 6.3 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Nigeria: 0.042 (2026) · Russia: 2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and Russia are practically level
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 8.8 times the size of Nigeria’s
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Russia produces 5.2 times as much per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Russia (Gini 0.9 points higher)
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
42% of people in Nigeria live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Russia
Nigeria: 41.8% (2022) · Russia: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.1% in Nigeria, versus 2.1% in Russia
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Nigeria: 0.9% (2025) · Russia: 7.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Nigeria: no data · Russia: 10.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Russia’s price level (US = 100) is 2.8× Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Russia spends 15 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Russia live 19 years longer than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 17 times as likely to die before turning one as in Russia
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 13 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Nigeria: no data · Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 3 times that in Nigeria
Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Russia are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Russia rate their lives 1.05 points higher than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 5.1 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 12 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 1,058 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 25 more hours a year than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 4.8 years longer than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024) · Russia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Russia has 31 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (33 against 2)
Nigeria: 2 (2026) · Russia: 33 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Russia has won 539 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition) · Russia: 539 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026) · Russia: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Russia have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 24 times as long as Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 31 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 19% of Nigeria
Nigeria: 18.9% (2024) · Russia: 50.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 21 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 17% in Russia
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in Russia
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Russia
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 84% deadlier than in Russia
Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 30.0 °C warmer than Russia
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 78% more rain than Russia
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Nigeria fits inside Russia 19 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or Russia?
Nigeria has 66% more people than Russia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Russia?
People in Russia live 19 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in Nigeria or Russia?
Men in Russia are 5.1 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
