Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside the United States 11 times
Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 23 times as long as Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 3,771 m above Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 46% of the United States
Nigeria: 77.1% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 44% more people than Nigeria
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 7 times as densely populated as the United States
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 5.4 cm taller than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 5.2 cm taller than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 20 years older than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.8 more children on average than in the United States
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United States hosts 2.6 times as many refugees per resident as Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Nigeria: 0.042 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and the United States are practically level
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 106 times the size of Nigeria’s
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 9.4 times as much per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Nigeria (Gini 7.9 points higher)
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
42% of people in Nigeria live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.1% in the United States
Nigeria: 41.8% (2022) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.1% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Nigeria: 0.9% (2025) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Nigeria: no data · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 7.8× Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 202 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 24 years longer than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 13 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 9.7 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Nigeria: no data · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 2 times that in Nigeria
Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 2.03 points higher than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 4.7 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 17 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,477 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 273 more hours a year than in the United States
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 6.3 years longer than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 92 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019)
Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 25 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (27 against 2)
Nigeria: 2 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, Nigeria 27
Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 9.2 times as fast as in Nigeria
Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 42 times as long as Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 124 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 19% of Nigeria
Nigeria: 18.9% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 24 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 6.7 times as much fine dust as in the United States
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.7 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in the United States
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 6% deadlier than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 17.1 °C warmer than the United States
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 23% more rain than the United States
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Nigeria fits inside the United States 11 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or the United States?
The United States has 44% more people than Nigeria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or the United States?
People in the United States live 24 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Nigeria or the United States?
Men in the United States are 5.4 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
