The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Nigeria 9.4 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 55% longer than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 514 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 21 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 61% more densely populated than the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 2.5 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 2.4 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 13 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 3.2 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.1% of people in Nigeria are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 90% larger than Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 8.3 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7.5 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.1% in Nigeria, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 4.9× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 36 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 28 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 18 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 7.9 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
9.0% of adults in the United Arab Emirates smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 2.03 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Nigeria drink 3.2 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 9.5 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 655 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 453 more hours a year than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 5.4 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 986 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Arab Emirates has 1 more World Heritage site than Nigeria (3 against 2).
Nigeria: 2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 13 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 357 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 34 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 11% more fine dust than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 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 the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 2.9 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 1.4 °C warmer than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 22 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Nigeria is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Nigeria 9.4 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or the United Arab Emirates?
Nigeria has 21 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 28 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Nigeria or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 2.5 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
