Nigeria vs Pakistan
Nigeria is 5% larger than Pakistan.
NigeriaPakistanNigeria moved onto Pakistan · Equal-area projection
1.05×
Nigeria is 1.05× the area of Pakistan.
 Nigeria |  Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNigeria: 1.05× the area | 923,768 km²#31 of 194 | 881,913 km²#33 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationPakistan: 1.07× the population | 237,527,782#6 of 194 · 2025 | 255,219,554#5 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityPakistan: 1.13× the density | 257 / km²#38 of 194 | 289 / km²#30 of 194 |
| Urban populationNigeria: 1.62× the urban share | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNigeria: 1.23× the births per woman | 4.38 per woman#15 of 192 · 2024 | 3.55 per woman#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNigeria: 0.50 points higher | +2.06%#44 of 192 · 2025 | +1.56%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNigeria: 1.19× the birth rate | 32.5 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 | 27.4 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNigeria: 1.81× the death rate | 11.6 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 | 6.4 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Nigeria: 4.3 points higher | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Pakistan: 1.3 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 4.4%#134 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNigeria: 4.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | −4.8 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNigeria: 5.74× the refugees for its size | 2.01 per 1,000#43 of 190 · 2025 | 0.35 per 1,000#84 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyPakistan: 13.2 years longer | 54.6 years#192 of 192 · 2024 | 67.8 years#145 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNigeria: 1.45× the infant mortality | 69.8 per 1,000 births#2 of 191 · 2024 | 48.2 per 1,000 births#14 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsPakistan: 3.05× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 1.16 per 1,000#102 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolment | — | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexNigeria: 0.016 higher | 0.560#161 of 190 · 2023 | 0.544#165 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaPakistan: 1.1× the income per person | $1,360#159 of 185 · 2025 | $1,500#158 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPPakistan: 1.4× the economy | $290.79B2025 | $407.31B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nigeria: 1.45× the output per person | $9,532#128 of 184 · 2025 | $6,573#142 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNigeria: 0.3 points higher | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 | +3.7%#81 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNigeria: 19.5 points higher | +23.0%#10 of 176 · 2025 | +3.5%#75 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentPakistan: 1.74× the unemployment | 3.1%#137 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4%#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNigeria: 1.82× the share in extreme poverty | 41.8%#17 of 149 · 2022 | 23.0%#31 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Nigeria: 0.4 higher | 33.9#80 of 149 · 2022 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agriculturePakistan: 2.7 points higher | 33.5% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 | 36.2% of jobs#45 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryPakistan: 8.3 points higher | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 | 25.3% of jobs#41 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNigeria: 11.0 points higher | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 | 38.5% of jobs#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNigeria: 0.9 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 10.0% of GDP#162 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingPakistan: 3.2× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#119 of 155 · 2025 | 2.9% of GDP#34 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersPakistan: 1.39× the share online | 41%#153 of 184 · 2024 | 57%#139 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsPakistan: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 | 77 per 100#151 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNigeria: 4.61× the forest share | 19% of land#122 of 192 · 2024 | 4% of land#168 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personPakistan: 1.42× the CO₂ per person | 0.57 t a year#146 of 185 · 2024 | 0.81 t a year#135 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNigeria: 38.7 points higher | 80.3%#16 of 190 · 2021 | 41.6%#59 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityPakistan: 33.2 points higher | 62.5%#160 of 192 · 2024 | 95.7%#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nigeria: 1.13× the air pollution | 65.7 µg/m³#4 of 191 · 2023 | 58.4 µg/m³#7 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPakistan: 5.2 points higher | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 | 19.1% of land#86 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNigeria: 1.0 points higher | 40.8% of land#13 of 190 · 2024 | 39.8% of land#14 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPakistan: 11.3× the water stress | 9.7%#92 of 176 · 2022 | 110.0%#16 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNigeria: 2.33× the rain and snow | 1,150 mm#80 of 180 · 2022 | 494 mm#144 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNigeria: 0.21 higher | −1.74#179 of 193 · 2025 | −1.95#185 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionThe same | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNigeria: 3.65× the homicide rate | 15.7 per 100,000#20 of 146 · 2023 | 4.3 per 100,000#54 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republicfederal presidential republic | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Abuja | Islamabad |
| Currency | Nigerian naira (NGN) | Pakistani rupee (PKR) |
| Official languages | English | English, Urdu |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +234 | +92 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Southern Asia, Asia |
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. Nigeria sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Pakistan at 30° N is stretched to 1.33×. 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 Nigeria bigger than Pakistan?
- Yes. Nigeria is 5% larger than Pakistan. Nigeria covers 923,768 km² and Pakistan covers 881,913 km².
- How many times does Pakistan fit into Nigeria?
- About 1.0 times: Nigeria has 1.05× the area of Pakistan.
- Why do Nigeria and Pakistan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Nigeria is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Pakistan about 1.33×. 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, Nigeria or Pakistan?
- Pakistan: 255,219,554 people against 237,527,782. Density: Nigeria 257 per km², Pakistan 289 per km².
- Which is richer, Nigeria or Pakistan?
- By gross national income per person, Pakistan: $1,500 against $1,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Pakistan?
- In Pakistan: life expectancy at birth is 67.8 years, against 54.6 — 13.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Nigeria and Pakistan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Nigeria: presidential republic; Pakistan: parliamentary republic.