World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Nigeria 8.3 times.
Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 94% longer than the median country’s.
Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Nigeria’s highest peak towers 84 m above the median country’s.
Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 32 times as many people as the median country.
Nigeria: 238 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 2.7 times as densely populated as the median country.
Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 2.0 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 2.4 cm taller than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 13 years older than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.5 more children on average than in the median country.
Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Nigeria and the median country are practically level.
Nigeria: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Nigeria and the median country are practically level.
Nigeria: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Nigeria’s economy is 6.4 times the size of the median country’s.
Nigeria: $291 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 2.2 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Nigeria (Gini 0.5 points higher).
Nigeria: 33.9 (2022) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.6%.
Nigeria: 0.6% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 3.5× Nigeria’s.
Nigeria: 13% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 7 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: $67 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 20 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 5.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 4.4 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 12.1% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 3.1% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.05 points higher than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 4.79 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 7.9 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 468 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 87 more hours a year than in the median country.
Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 2.3 years longer than in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 149 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Nigeria: 0 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 41% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 62.5% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
The median country and Nigeria are practically level.
Nigeria: 64% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Nigeria: 71 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 65% longer than the median country’s.
Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.02 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Nigeria: 23.2% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 5.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Nigeria: 31.3% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 3 times as much fine dust as in the median country.
Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7 times as likely to be murdered in Nigeria as in the median country.
Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 40% deadlier than in the median country.
Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 4.5 °C warmer than the median country.
Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 3% more rain than the median country.
Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Nigeria bigger than the median country?
Nigeria is larger. The median country fits inside Nigeria 8.3 times.
Which has more people, Nigeria or the median country?
Nigeria has 32 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Nigeria or the median country?
People in the median country live 20 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Nigeria or the median country?
Men in the median country are 2.0 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
