Cameroon vs Nigeria
Nigeria is 94% larger than Cameroon. Cameroon would fit into Nigeria about 1.9 times.
CameroonNigeriaCameroon moved onto Nigeria · Equal-area projection
0.51×
Cameroon is 0.51× the area of Nigeria. Put the other way, Nigeria is 1.94× the size of Cameroon.
 Cameroon |  Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNigeria: 1.94× the area | 475,442 km²#52 of 194 | 923,768 km²#31 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNigeria: 7.95× the population | 29,879,337#51 of 194 · 2025 | 237,527,782#6 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNigeria: 4.09× the density | 63 / km²#122 of 194 | 257 / km²#38 of 194 |
| Urban populationNigeria: 1.15× the urban share | 56%#121 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 4.26 per woman#16 of 192 · 2024 | 4.38 per woman#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCameroon: 0.50 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +2.06%#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 33.3 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 | 32.5 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNigeria: 1.66× the death rate | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 | 11.6 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Cameroon: 0.6 points higher | 41.1%#16 of 192 · 2025 | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Nigeria: 0.3 points higher | 2.8%#175 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 abroadCameroon: 2.34× the refugees for its size | 4.70 per 1,000#28 of 190 · 2025 | 2.01 per 1,000#43 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCameroon: 9.4 years longer | 64.0 years#169 of 192 · 2024 | 54.6 years#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNigeria: 1.74× the infant mortality | 40.2 per 1,000 births#26 of 191 · 2024 | 69.8 per 1,000 births#2 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNigeria: 2.71× the doctors per person | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2022 | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 16.7%#118 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexCameroon: 0.028 higher | 0.588#152 of 190 · 2023 | 0.560#161 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCameroon: 1.37× the income per person | $1,860#152 of 185 · 2025 | $1,360#159 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNigeria: 4.93× the economy | $58.93B2025 | $290.79B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nigeria: 1.65× the output per person | $5,788#148 of 184 · 2025 | $9,532#128 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNigeria: 0.8 points higher | +3.2%#93 of 187 · 2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNigeria: 19.6 points higher | +3.4%#78 of 176 · 2025 | +23.0%#10 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCameroon: 1.16× the unemployment | 3.6%#119 of 178 · 2025 | 3.1%#137 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNigeria: 1.57× the share in extreme poverty | 26.7%#29 of 149 · 2021 | 41.8%#17 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Cameroon: 8.3 higher | 42.2#29 of 149 · 2021 | 33.9#80 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureCameroon: 8.4 points higher | 41.9% of jobs#37 of 178 · 2025 | 33.5% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNigeria: 2.4 points higher | 14.6% of jobs#140 of 178 · 2025 | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNigeria: 6.0 points higher | 43.5% of jobs#141 of 178 · 2025 | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNigeria: 0.4 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 13.1% of GDP#155 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingCameroon: 1.16× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#109 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#119 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersCameroon: 1.12× the share online | 46%#147 of 184 · 2024 | 41%#153 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCameroon: 1.52× the mobile subscriptions | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCameroon: 2.15× the forest share | 41% of land#66 of 192 · 2024 | 19% of land#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNigeria: 1.63× the CO₂ per person | 0.35 t a year#157 of 185 · 2024 | 0.57 t a year#146 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNigeria: 1.1 points higher | 79.2%#19 of 190 · 2021 | 80.3%#16 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCameroon: 9.5 points higher | 72.0%#153 of 192 · 2024 | 62.5%#160 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nigeria: 1.18× the air pollution | 55.6 µg/m³#10 of 191 · 2023 | 65.7 µg/m³#4 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNigeria: 2.9 points higher | 11.0% of land#140 of 191 · 2025 | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNigeria: 27.7 points higher | 13.1% of land#79 of 190 · 2024 | 40.8% of land#13 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNigeria: 6.06× the water stress | 1.6%#153 of 176 · 2022 | 9.7%#92 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCameroon: 1.39× the rain and snow | 1,604 mm#51 of 180 · 2022 | 1,150 mm#80 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCameroon: 0.05 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.74#179 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNigeria: 0.13 higher | −1.20#166 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNigeria: 2.31× the homicide rate | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2022 | 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 | Yaounde | Abuja |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Nigerian naira (NGN) |
| Official languages | English, French | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +237 | +234 |
| Region | Middle 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. Cameroon sits at about 6° N and is stretched to 1.01× 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 Cameroon bigger than Nigeria?
- No. Cameroon is 49% smaller than Nigeria. Cameroon covers 475,442 km² and Nigeria covers 923,768 km².
- How many times does Cameroon fit into Nigeria?
- About 1.9 times: Nigeria has 1.94× the area of Cameroon.
- Why do Cameroon and Nigeria look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cameroon is drawn about 1.01× 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, Cameroon or Nigeria?
- Nigeria: 237,527,782 people against 29,879,337. Density: Cameroon 63 per km², Nigeria 257 per km².
- Which is richer, Cameroon or Nigeria?
- By gross national income per person, Cameroon: $1,860 against $1,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.37× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Cameroon or Nigeria?
- In Cameroon: life expectancy at birth is 64.0 years, against 54.6 — 9.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Cameroon and Nigeria have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).