Niger vs Nigeria
Niger is 37% larger than Nigeria.
NigerNigeriaNiger moved onto Nigeria · Equal-area projection
1.37×
Niger is 1.37× the area of Nigeria.
 Niger |  Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNiger: 1.37× the area | 1,267,000 km²#21 of 194 | 923,768 km²#31 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNigeria: 8.51× the population | 27,917,831#54 of 194 · 2025 | 237,527,782#6 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNigeria: 11.7× the density | 22 / km²#163 of 194 | 257 / km²#38 of 194 |
| Urban populationNigeria: 3.47× the urban share | 18%#188 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNiger: 1.36× the births per woman | 5.94 per woman#5 of 192 · 2024 | 4.38 per woman#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNiger: 1.16 points higher | +3.22%#9 of 192 · 2025 | +2.06%#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNiger: 1.27× the birth rate | 41.4 per 1,000#4 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 15Niger: 5.7 points higher | 46.2%#3 of 192 · 2025 | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Nigeria: 0.5 points higher | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNigeria: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNiger: 1.53× the refugees for its size | 3.07 per 1,000#34 of 190 · 2025 | 2.01 per 1,000#43 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNiger: 6.8 years longer | 61.4 years#182 of 192 · 2024 | 54.6 years#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNigeria: 1.06× the infant mortality | 65.6 per 1,000 births#3 of 191 · 2024 | 69.8 per 1,000 births#2 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNigeria: 9.5× the doctors per person | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2023 | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNigeria: 0.141 higher | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 | 0.560#161 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNigeria: 1.81× the income per person | $750#176 of 185 · 2025 | $1,360#159 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNigeria: 13.4× the economy | $21.65B2025 | $290.79B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nigeria: 4.38× the output per person | $2,177#176 of 184 · 2025 | $9,532#128 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNiger: 3.0 points higher | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNigeria: 27.5 points higher | −4.5%#174 of 176 · 2025 | +23.0%#10 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNigeria: 7.75× the unemployment | 0.4%#176 of 178 · 2025 | 3.1%#137 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNiger: 1.45× the share in extreme poverty | 60.5%#9 of 149 · 2021 | 41.8%#17 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Nigeria: 1.0 higher | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 | 33.9#80 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureNiger: 39.5 points higher | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 | 33.5% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNigeria: 7.7 points higher | 9.3% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNigeria: 31.8 points higher | 17.7% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNigeria: 0.2 points higher | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingNiger: 2.35× the military spending | 2.1% of GDP#54 of 155 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#119 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNigeria: 2.64× the share online | 16%#179 of 184 · 2024 | 41%#153 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsNigeria: 1.16× the mobile subscriptions | 61 per 100#175 of 191 · 2024 | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNigeria: 23.6× the forest share | 1% of land#181 of 192 · 2024 | 19% of land#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNigeria: 4.75× the CO₂ per person | 0.12 t a year#178 of 185 · 2024 | 0.57 t a year#146 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNigeria: 0.7 points higher | 79.6%#18 of 190 · 2021 | 80.3%#16 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNigeria: 41.2 points higher | 21.3%#187 of 192 · 2024 | 62.5%#160 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 65.2 µg/m³#5 of 191 · 2023 | 65.7 µg/m³#4 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNiger: 7.1 points higher | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNigeria: 26.8 points higher | 14.0% of land#77 of 190 · 2024 | 40.8% of land#13 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNiger: 1.13× the water stress | 11.0%#88 of 176 · 2022 | 9.7%#92 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNigeria: 7.62× the rain and snow | 151 mm#169 of 180 · 2022 | 1,150 mm#80 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNigeria: 0.03 higher | −1.77#180 of 193 · 2025 | −1.74#179 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNiger: 0.33 higher | −0.74#136 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 | Military or transitionalformerly, semi-presidential republic | Presidential republicfederal presidential republic |
| Member of | — | OPEC |
| Capital | Niamey | Abuja |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Nigerian naira (NGN) |
| Official languages | Hausa | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +227 | +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. Niger sits at about 17° N and is stretched to 1.1× 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 Niger bigger than Nigeria?
- Yes. Niger is 37% larger than Nigeria. Niger covers 1,267,000 km² and Nigeria covers 923,768 km².
- How many times does Nigeria fit into Niger?
- About 1.4 times: Niger has 1.37× the area of Nigeria.
- Why do Niger and Nigeria look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Niger is drawn about 1.1× 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, Niger or Nigeria?
- Nigeria: 237,527,782 people against 27,917,831. Density: Niger 22 per km², Nigeria 257 per km².
- Which is richer, Niger or Nigeria?
- By gross national income per person, Nigeria: $1,360 against $750 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.81× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Niger or Nigeria?
- In Niger: life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years, against 54.6 — 6.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Niger and Nigeria have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Niger: military or transitional; Nigeria: presidential republic.