Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Nigeria 9.2 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 2.8 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 469 m above South Korea’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 4.6 times as many people as South Korea.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 2 times as densely populated as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 4.0 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 5.1 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 27 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.6 more children on average than in South Korea.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and South Korea are practically level.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 6.4 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 6.6 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in South Korea (Gini 1 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Nigeria and South Korea are practically level.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 4.5× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 47 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 29 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 30 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 6.9 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 1.25 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 4.1 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 12 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 960 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 151 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 5.1 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 137 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 22% longer than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 67 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 19 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in South Korea.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 33 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in South Korea.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 2.5 times as deadly as in South Korea.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 14.3 °C warmer than South Korea.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 21% more rain than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than South Korea?
Nigeria is larger. South Korea fits inside Nigeria 9.2 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or South Korea?
Nigeria has 4.6 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 29 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Nigeria or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 4.0 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
