Benin vs Nigeria
Benin vs Nigeria: Urban population
Urban population in 2025: 53.4% in Benin and 63.8% in Nigeria, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 10.4 percentage points, or 1.2 times that in Benin.
% of people · UN
What the numbers say
- Nigeria has been higher since 1988, when it overtook Benin.
- In 2025, Benin ranked 154 and Nigeria ranked 119 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Benin at 79.4% and Nigeria at 83.4% in 2050.
Every year
% of people · UN
| Year | Benin | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53.4 | 63.8 |
| 2024 | 52.6 | 63 |
| 2023 | 51.8 | 62.2 |
| 2022 | 51 | 61.4 |
| 2021 | 50.2 | 60.6 |
| 2020 | 49.5 | 59.8 |
| 2019 | 48.7 | 59 |
| 2018 | 48 | 58.2 |
| 2017 | 47.3 | 57.4 |
| 2016 | 46.6 | 56.5 |
| 2015 | 45.9 | 55.7 |
| 2014 | 45.3 | 54.9 |
| 2013 | 44.7 | 54.1 |
| 2012 | 44.1 | 53.3 |
| 2011 | 43.5 | 52.5 |
| 2010 | 42.9 | 51.7 |
| 2009 | 42.3 | 50.9 |
| 2008 | 41.8 | 50.1 |
| 2007 | 41.3 | 49.2 |
| 2006 | 40.8 | 48.4 |
| 2005 | 40.3 | 47.6 |
| 2004 | 39.9 | 46.7 |
| 2003 | 39.4 | 45.8 |
| 2002 | 39 | 45 |
| 2001 | 38.6 | 44.1 |
| 2000 | 38.3 | 43.3 |
| 1999 | 38 | 42.4 |
| 1998 | 37.7 | 41.6 |
| 1997 | 37.4 | 40.8 |
| 1996 | 37.1 | 40 |
| 1995 | 36.8 | 39.1 |
| 1994 | 36.5 | 38.3 |
| 1993 | 36.2 | 37.5 |
| 1992 | 35.8 | 36.8 |
| 1991 | 35.3 | 36 |
| 1990 | 34.8 | 35.2 |
| 1989 | 34.2 | 34.4 |
| 1988 | 33.6 | 33.6 |
| 1987 | 32.9 | 32.8 |
| 1986 | 32.2 | 32.1 |
| 1985 | 31.4 | 31.3 |
| 1984 | 30.6 | 30.5 |
| 1983 | 29.8 | 29.7 |
| 1982 | 28.9 | 29 |
| 1981 | 28.1 | 28.2 |
| 1980 | 27.3 | 27.4 |
| 1979 | 26.5 | 26.7 |
| 1978 | 25.7 | 25.9 |
| 1977 | 24.8 | 25.2 |
| 1976 | 23.9 | 24.4 |
| 1975 | 22.9 | 23.7 |
| 1974 | 21.9 | 23 |
| 1973 | 20.9 | 22.3 |
| 1972 | 19.8 | 21.6 |
| 1971 | 18.8 | 20.9 |
| 1970 | 17.7 | 20.2 |
| 1969 | 16.7 | 19.6 |
| 1968 | 15.7 | 18.9 |
| 1967 | 14.8 | 18.3 |
| 1966 | 13.8 | 17.7 |
| 1965 | 13 | 17.1 |
| 1964 | 12.2 | 16.5 |
| 1963 | 11.5 | 15.9 |
| 1962 | 10.8 | 15.4 |
| 1961 | 10.3 | 14.8 |
| 1960 | 9.8 | 14.2 |
| 1959 | 9.4 | 13.7 |
| 1958 | 9 | 13.2 |
| 1957 | 8.6 | 12.7 |
| 1956 | 8.2 | 12.2 |
| 1955 | 7.8 | 11.7 |
| 1954 | 7.5 | 11.3 |
| 1953 | 7.3 | 11 |
| 1952 | 7 | 10.7 |
| 1951 | 6.8 | 10.4 |
| 1950 | 6.7 | 10.1 |
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
| Year | Benin | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 54.2 | 64.6 |
| 2027 | 55.1 | 65.4 |
| 2028 | 55.9 | 66.2 |
| 2029 | 56.8 | 67 |
| 2030 | 57.7 | 67.8 |
| 2031 | 58.6 | 68.6 |
| 2032 | 59.6 | 69.3 |
| 2033 | 60.5 | 70.1 |
| 2034 | 61.5 | 70.9 |
| 2035 | 62.5 | 71.7 |
| 2036 | 63.5 | 72.5 |
| 2037 | 64.5 | 73.3 |
| 2038 | 65.5 | 74.1 |
| 2039 | 66.6 | 74.9 |
| 2040 | 67.7 | 75.6 |
| 2041 | 68.8 | 76.4 |
| 2042 | 69.9 | 77.2 |
| 2043 | 71 | 78 |
| 2044 | 72.2 | 78.8 |
| 2045 | 73.3 | 79.5 |
| 2046 | 74.5 | 80.3 |
| 2047 | 75.7 | 81.1 |
| 2048 | 76.9 | 81.8 |
| 2049 | 78.2 | 82.6 |
| 2050 | 79.4 | 83.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
- Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Benin vs Nigeria
Health
- Life expectancyBenin: 60.8 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBenin: 7.5 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBenin: 52.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBenin: 3.63% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateBenin: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBenin: 14.1 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthBenin: 2.51% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBenin: 4.56 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Median ageBenin: 17.8 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBenin: 3.1% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateBenin: -0 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBenin: 0.89% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBenin: $204M in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personBenin: $15 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBenin: 4.8% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBenin: 12,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerBenin: 0.07% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBenin: 0.21% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBenin: 4 million TIV in 2025Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025