Nigeria vs Russia
Russia is 18.5 times larger than Nigeria. Nigeria would fit into Russia about 18 times.
NigeriaRussiaNigeria moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.05×
Nigeria is 0.05× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 18.5× the size of Nigeria.
 Nigeria |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 18.5× the area | 923,768 km²#31 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNigeria: 1.66× the population | 237,527,782#6 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNigeria: 30.6× the density | 257 / km²#38 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 1.18× the urban share | 64%#93 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNigeria: 3.08× the births per woman | 4.38 per woman#15 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNigeria: 2.17 points higher | +2.06%#44 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNigeria: 3.87× the birth rate | 32.5 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.07× the death rate | 11.6 per 1,000#20 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Nigeria: 23.5 points higher | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 14.7 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNigeria: 1.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNigeria: 2.91× the refugees for its size | 2.01 per 1,000#43 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 18.8 years longer | 54.6 years#192 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNigeria: 17× the infant mortality | 69.8 per 1,000 births#2 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 13.4× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.272 higher | 0.560#161 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 11.7× the income per person | $1,360#159 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 8.81× the economy | $290.79B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 5.2× the output per person | $9,532#128 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNigeria: 3.0 points higher | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNigeria: 14.3 points higher | +23.0%#10 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNigeria: 1.48× the unemployment | 3.1%#137 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNigeria: 418× the share in extreme poverty | 41.8%#17 of 149 · 2022 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Nigeria: 0.9 higher | 33.9#80 of 149 · 2022 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureNigeria: 28.4 points higher | 33.5% of jobs#52 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 8.8 points higher | 17.0% of jobs#113 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 19.6 points higher | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNigeria: 1.0 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 8.24× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#119 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 2.29× the share online | 41%#153 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 2.62× the mobile subscriptions | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 2.69× the forest share | 19% of land#122 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 24.5× the CO₂ per person | 0.57 t a year#146 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNigeria: 76.8 points higher | 80.3%#16 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 37.5 points higher | 62.5%#160 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nigeria: 5.66× the air pollution | 65.7 µg/m³#4 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNigeria: 2.4 points higher | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNigeria: 33.4 points higher | 40.8% of land#13 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNigeria: 2.37× the water stress | 9.7%#92 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNigeria: 2.5× the rain and snow | 1,150 mm#80 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityRussia: 0.80 higher | −1.74#179 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRussia: 0.09 higher | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNigeria: 2.31× the homicide rate | 15.7 per 100,000#20 of 146 · 2023 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republicfederal presidential republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | OPEC | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Abuja | Moscow |
| Currency | Nigerian naira (NGN) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | English | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +234 | +7 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Nigeria. 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 Russia?
- No. Nigeria is 18.5 times smaller than Russia. Nigeria covers 923,768 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Nigeria fit into Russia?
- About 18 times: Russia has 18.5× the area of Nigeria.
- Why do Nigeria and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Nigeria. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Nigeria or Russia?
- Nigeria: 237,527,782 people against 143,513,328. Density: Nigeria 257 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Nigeria or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $1,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 11.7× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 54.6 — 18.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Nigeria and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Nigeria: presidential republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.