Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria is 83% bigger than Spain.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · Spain: 505,976 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 5.8 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 1,299 m above Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 4.8 times as many people as Spain.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 2.6 times as densely populated as Spain.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Spain are 4.6 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Spain are 3.9 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 27 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.3 more children on average than in Spain.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · Spain: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and Spain are practically level.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 6.6 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 6.3 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Spain (Gini 0.5 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Spain spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · Spain: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 5× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 46 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 29 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 27 times as likely to die before turning one as in Spain.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 11 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Spain are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 1.75 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 5.9 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 14 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 907 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 424 more hours a year than in Spain.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Spain went to school 3.2 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Spain welcomed 829 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Spain have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Spain has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 86 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Spain, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · Spain: 37.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Spain emits 7.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 5 times as much fine dust as in Spain.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 23 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in Spain.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 4.9 times as deadly as in Spain.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · Spain: 3.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 12.6 °C warmer than Spain.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 57% more rain than Spain.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than Spain?
Nigeria is larger. Nigeria is 83% bigger than Spain.
Which has more people, Nigeria or Spain?
Nigeria has 4.8 times as many people as Spain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Spain?
People in Spain live 29 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in Nigeria or Spain?
Men in Spain are 4.6 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
