Benin vs Nigeria
Nigeria is 8.05 times larger than Benin. Benin would fit into Nigeria about 8.0 times.
BeninNigeriaBenin moved onto Nigeria · Equal-area projection
0.12×
Benin is 0.12× the area of Nigeria. Put the other way, Nigeria is 8.05× the size of Benin.
 Benin |  Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNigeria: 8.05× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 923,768 km²#31 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNigeria: 16× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 237,527,782#6 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNigeria: 1.99× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 257 / km²#38 of 194 |
| Urban populationNigeria: 1.19× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 4.38 per woman#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBenin: 0.34 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +2.06%#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 32.5 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNigeria: 1.33× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 11.6 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 0.8 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Benin: 0.1 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNigeria: 22.3× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 2.01 per 1,000#43 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBenin: 6.4 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 54.6 years#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNigeria: 1.54× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 69.8 per 1,000 births#2 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNigeria: 1.73× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexNigeria: 0.045 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.560#161 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBenin: 1.18× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $1,360#159 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNigeria: 11.8× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $290.79B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nigeria: 1.98× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $9,532#128 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 4.1 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNigeria: 21.9 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +23.0%#10 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNigeria: 1.94× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 3.1%#137 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNigeria: 1.54× the share in extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | 41.8%#17 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Benin: 0.5 higher | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | 33.9#80 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureBenin: 6.7 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 33.5% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBenin: 1.3 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNigeria: 8.1 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBenin: 0.6 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#119 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNigeria: 1.21× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 41%#153 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 1.77× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBenin: 1.49× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 19% of land#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNigeria: 1.16× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 0.57 t a year#146 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNigeria: 25.8 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 80.3%#16 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNigeria: 3.5 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 62.5%#160 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nigeria: 1.65× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 65.7 µg/m³#4 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 22.2 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNigeria: 8.5 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 40.8% of land#13 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNigeria: 9.7× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 9.7%#92 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNigeria: 1.11× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 1,150 mm#80 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBenin: 1.34 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | −1.74#179 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 0.86 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNigeria: 14.3× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | 15.7 per 100,000#20 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republicfederal presidential republic |
| Member of | — | OPEC |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Abuja |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Nigerian naira (NGN) |
| Official languages | French | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +229 | +234 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Benin sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Nigeria at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Benin bigger than Nigeria?
- No. Benin is 8.05 times smaller than Nigeria. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Nigeria covers 923,768 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into Nigeria?
- About 8.0 times: Nigeria has 8.05× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and Nigeria look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Benin is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Nigeria about 1.03×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Benin or Nigeria?
- Nigeria: 237,527,782 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Nigeria 257 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Nigeria?
- By gross national income per person, Benin: $1,600 against $1,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.18× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Nigeria?
- In Benin: life expectancy at birth is 61.0 years, against 54.6 — 6.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Nigeria have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).