The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside Nigeria 3.8 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 15 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 1,074 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 3.4 times as many people as the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 10% more densely populated than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 6.7 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 5.8 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 22 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.8 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 14 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 6.8 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in the United Kingdom (Gini 1.5 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 6.9× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 88 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 27 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 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 the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 8.7 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 1.91 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 5.1 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 12 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 964 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 539 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 5.9 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 238 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Kingdom have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 4.6 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 77 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 23% of Nigeria, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 7.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 5.7 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 14 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 7.2 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 17.5 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 3% more rain than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than the United Kingdom?
Nigeria is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside Nigeria 3.8 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or the United Kingdom?
Nigeria has 3.4 times as many people as the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 27 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Nigeria or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 6.7 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
