Niger at its true size
Niger covers 1,267,000 km², number 21 of 194 countries by area. Home to 27,917,831 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,267,000 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 27,917,831 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 22 per km² |
| Capital | Niamey |
| Local time in Niamey | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) Wikidata |
| Languages | Hausa |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +227 |
| Codes | NE · NER · 562 |
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Where Niger ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#54 of 19428 million people#18 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#163 of 19422 people per km²#43 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#188 of 19218% urban#53 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#5 of 1925.94 births per woman#5 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#9 of 192+3.22% a year#4 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#4 of 19241.4 births per 1,000 people#4 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#58 of 1928.7 deaths per 1,000 people#10 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#3 of 19246.2% under 15#3 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#180 of 1922.6% aged 65 and over#46 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#89 of 192−0.3 per 1,000 people#19 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#34 of 1903.07 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#14 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#176 of 185$750 a person#45 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#179 of 18416% online#47 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#176 of 184$2,177 a person#44 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#18 of 187+7.0% a year#7 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#174 of 176−4.5% a year#50 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#176 of 1780.4% of the labour force#53 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#9 of 14960.5% under $3.00 a day#9 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#95 of 149a Gini index of 32.9#41 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#2 of 17873.0% of jobs#2 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#159 of 1789.3% of jobs#40 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#177 of 17817.7% of jobs#52 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#122 of 1841.2% of GDP#40 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#144 of 16815.8% of GDP#40 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#54 of 1552.1% of GDP#14 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#175 of 19161 subscriptions per 100 people#45 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#178 of 1850.12 tonnes a person#49 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#181 of 1921% forest#50 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#18 of 19079.6% renewable#16 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#187 of 19221.3% with electricity#49 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#5 of 19165.2 µg/m³#2 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#78 of 19121.0% of the land protected#20 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#77 of 19014.0% of the land arable#24 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#88 of 17611.0% of its available fresh water#22 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#169 of 180151 mm a year#50 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Niger’s area, lit up on the map →
- Chad0.99×Niger and Chad are almost exactly the same size.
- Peru0.99×Niger and Peru are almost exactly the same size.
- Angola1.02×Niger and Angola are almost exactly the same size.
- Mali1.02×Niger and Mali are almost exactly the same size.
- South Africa1.04×Niger is 4% larger than South Africa.
- Colombia1.11×Niger is 11% larger than Colombia.
How many times does Niger fit into…
- Russia: about 13 times
- Canada: about 7.9 times
- United States: about 7.8 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Niger shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Niger4,180 km
Summits
- Monts Bagzane2,022 m
Lakes
- Lake Chad1,540 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Niger. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Niger
- How big is Niger?
- Niger covers 1,267,000 km², which makes it number 21 of 194 countries by area. About 27,917,831 people live there (2025), 22 per km².
- Is Niger bigger than Chad?
- Niger and Chad are almost exactly the same size. Niger: 1,267,000 km²; Chad: 1,284,000 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Niger?
- Niger lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Niger?
- Niger shares a land border with Algeria, Libya, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Benin.