Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside Nigeria 2.8 times
Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 4 times as long as Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 725 m above Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 39% of Vietnam
Nigeria: 77.1% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 2.3 times as many people as Vietnam
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 24% more densely populated than Nigeria
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 2.7 cm taller than in Vietnam
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Vietnam and Nigeria are practically level
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 15 years older than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.5 more children on average than in Vietnam
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Vietnam are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Nigeria hosts 4,075 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Nigeria: 0.042 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and Vietnam are practically level
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vietnam’s economy is 77% larger than Nigeria’s
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Vietnam produces 90% more per person than Nigeria
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in Nigeria (Gini 2.2 points higher)
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
42% of people in Nigeria live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in Vietnam
Nigeria: 41.8% (2022) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.1% in Nigeria, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Nigeria: 0.9% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Vietnam’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Nigeria’s
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Vietnam spends 3 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Vietnam live 20 years longer than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 5.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Vietnam
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Vietnam has 2.9 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Nigeria: no data · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 54% higher than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Nigeria are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 1.64 points higher than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 5.3 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 8.5 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Vietnam has 616 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 99 more hours a year than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 1.4 years longer than in Nigeria
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Vietnam welcomed 35 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019)
Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vietnam has 7 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (9 against 2)
Nigeria: 2 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Nigeria has won 27 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Vietnam is 5.6 times as fast as in Nigeria
Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in Nigeria live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 12% longer than Vietnam’s
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 24 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 19% of Nigeria
Nigeria: 18.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 6.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in Nigeria
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Vietnam
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 34% deadlier than in Vietnam
Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 3.1 °C warmer than Vietnam
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2 times as much rain as Nigeria
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than Vietnam?
Nigeria is larger. Vietnam fits inside Nigeria 2.8 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or Vietnam?
Nigeria has 2.3 times as many people as Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Vietnam?
People in Vietnam live 20 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Nigeria or Vietnam?
Men in Nigeria are 2.7 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
