Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Africa is 32% bigger than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 3.3 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,031 m above Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 3.7 times as many people as South Africa.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 4.9 times as densely populated as South Africa.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 1.9 cm taller than in South Africa.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
South Africa and Nigeria are practically level.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 10 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.2 more children on average than in South Africa.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Nigeria 1.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 47% larger than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 67% more per person than Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Nigeria (Gini 20.2 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Africa and Nigeria are practically level.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 3.2× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 8 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Africa live 12 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Africa.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 0.22 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 8.2 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 224 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 120 more hours a year than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 4 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 60 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
South Africa and Nigeria are practically level.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 5.9 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 14% of South Africa.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 12 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2 times as much fine dust as in South Africa.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.8 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 42% deadlier than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 9.0 °C warmer than South Africa.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 2 times as much rain as South Africa.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. South Africa is 32% bigger than Nigeria.
Which has more people, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria has 3.7 times as many people as South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or South Africa?
People in South Africa live 12 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Nigeria or South Africa?
Men in Nigeria are 1.9 cm taller than in South Africa (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
