Chad vs Nigeria
Chad is 39% larger than Nigeria.
ChadNigeriaChad moved onto Nigeria · Equal-area projection
1.39×
Chad is 1.39× the area of Nigeria.
 Chad |  Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaChad: 1.39× the area | 1,284,000 km²#20 of 194 | 923,768 km²#31 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNigeria: 11.3× the population | 21,003,705#64 of 194 · 2025 | 237,527,782#6 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNigeria: 15.7× the density | 16 / km²#177 of 194 | 257 / km²#38 of 194 |
| Urban populationNigeria: 2.31× the urban share | 28%#175 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateChad: 1.38× the births per woman | 6.03 per woman#1 of 192 · 2024 | 4.38 per woman#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthChad: 1.35 points higher | +3.41%#6 of 192 · 2025 | +2.06%#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateChad: 1.33× the birth rate | 43.3 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 | 32.5 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNigeria: 1.05× the death rate | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 | 11.6 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Chad: 5.5 points higher | 46.0%#4 of 192 · 2025 | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Nigeria: 1.0 points higher | 2.1%#189 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNigeria: 5.8 per 1,000 higher | −5.9 per 1,000#175 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNigeria: 2.75× the refugees for its size | 0.73 per 1,000#67 of 190 · 2025 | 2.01 per 1,000#43 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyChad: 0.6 years longer | 55.2 years#191 of 192 · 2024 | 54.6 years#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNigeria: 1.24× the infant mortality | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 | 69.8 per 1,000 births#2 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNigeria: 4.22× the doctors per person | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2023 | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 4.4%#142 of 145 · 2020 | — |
| Human Development IndexNigeria: 0.144 higher | 0.416#187 of 190 · 2023 | 0.560#161 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNigeria: 1.4× the income per person | $970#171 of 185 · 2025 | $1,360#159 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNigeria: 13.5× the economy | $21.47B2025 | $290.79B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nigeria: 3.28× the output per person | $2,903#172 of 184 · 2025 | $9,532#128 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthChad: 1.6 points higher | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNigeria: 26.9 points higher | −3.9%#173 of 176 · 2025 | +23.0%#10 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNigeria: 2.82× the unemployment | 1.1%#172 of 178 · 2025 | 3.1%#137 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNigeria: 1.06× the share in extreme poverty | 39.5%#20 of 149 · 2022 | 41.8%#17 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Chad: 3.5 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2022 | 33.9#80 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureChad: 38.2 points higher | 71.7% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 | 33.5% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNigeria: 8.5 points higher | 8.5% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNigeria: 29.7 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#176 of 178 · 2025 | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNigeria: 1.4 points higher | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 29.4% of GDP#105 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingChad: 3.51× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#26 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#119 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNigeria: 3.27× the share online | 13%#182 of 184 · 2024 | 41%#153 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 73 per 100#155 of 191 · 2024 | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNigeria: 6.3× the forest share | 3% of land#170 of 192 · 2024 | 19% of land#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNigeria: 4.07× the CO₂ per person | 0.14 t a year#177 of 185 · 2024 | 0.57 t a year#146 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNigeria: 10.3 points higher | 70.0%#29 of 190 · 2022 | 80.3%#16 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNigeria: 49.1 points higher | 13.4%#191 of 192 · 2024 | 62.5%#160 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nigeria: 1.53× the air pollution | 43.0 µg/m³#18 of 191 · 2023 | 65.7 µg/m³#4 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landChad: 7.1 points higher | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNigeria: 36.6 points higher | 4.2% of land#135 of 190 · 2024 | 40.8% of land#13 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNigeria: 2.26× the water stress | 4.3%#126 of 176 · 2022 | 9.7%#92 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNigeria: 3.57× the rain and snow | 322 mm#153 of 180 · 2022 | 1,150 mm#80 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChad: 0.17 higher | −1.57#174 of 193 · 2025 | −1.74#179 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNigeria: 0.27 higher | −1.34#177 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 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 | N'Djamena | Abuja |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Nigerian naira (NGN) |
| Official languages | French, Arabic | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +235 | +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. Chad sits at about 15° N and is stretched to 1.07× 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 Chad bigger than Nigeria?
- Yes. Chad is 39% larger than Nigeria. Chad covers 1,284,000 km² and Nigeria covers 923,768 km².
- How many times does Nigeria fit into Chad?
- About 1.4 times: Chad has 1.39× the area of Nigeria.
- Why do Chad and Nigeria look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Chad is drawn about 1.07× 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, Chad or Nigeria?
- Nigeria: 237,527,782 people against 21,003,705. Density: Chad 16 per km², Nigeria 257 per km².
- Which is richer, Chad or Nigeria?
- By gross national income per person, Nigeria: $1,360 against $970 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.4× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Chad or Nigeria?
- In Chad: life expectancy at birth is 55.2 years, against 54.6 — 0.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Chad and Nigeria have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).