Laos vs Nigeria

Nigeria is 3.9 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into Nigeria about 3.9 times.

LaosNigeriaLaos moved onto Nigeria · Equal-area projection
0.26×
Laos is 0.26× the area of Nigeria. Put the other way, Nigeria is 3.9× the size of Laos.
LaosNigeria
Area236,800 km²923,768 km²
Population7,873,046237,527,782
Density33 / km²257 / km²
CapitalVientianeAbuja
RegionSouth-Eastern AsiaWestern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours54

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Laos sits at about 18°N and is stretched to 1.11× 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 Laos bigger than Nigeria?
No. Laos is 3.9 times smaller than Nigeria. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Nigeria covers 923,768 km².
How many times does Laos fit into Nigeria?
About 3.9 times: Nigeria has 3.9× the area of Laos.
Why do Laos and Nigeria look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Laos is drawn about 1.11× 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, Laos or Nigeria?
Nigeria: 237,527,782 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Nigeria 257 per km².