Iran vs Nigeria
Iran vs Nigeria: Government debt
Government debt: 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024 and 36.1% of GDP in Nigeria in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 8.1 percentage points, or 1.26 times that in Iran.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Nigeria has been higher since 2023, when it overtook Iran.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iran at 43.4% of GDP and Nigeria at 31.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Iran | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35.6 | 36.1 |
| 2024 | 31.2 | 39.3 |
| 2023 | 29.6 | 36.3 |
| 2022 | 34.5 | 29.8 |
| 2021 | 39.9 | 26.6 |
| 2020 | 47.1 | 25.7 |
| 2019 | 44.6 | 21.4 |
| 2018 | 41.6 | 20.4 |
| 2017 | 43.2 | 18 |
| 2016 | 46 | 17.4 |
| 2015 | 32.1 | 14.9 |
| 2014 | 10.9 | 15.8 |
| 2013 | 10.2 | 13 |
| 2012 | 11.8 | 12.5 |
| 2011 | 10.6 | 12.4 |
| 2010 | 12.8 | 6.7 |
| 2009 | 11.5 | 6.1 |
| 2008 | 10.6 | 5.2 |
| 2007 | 13.5 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 15.2 | 6.7 |
| 2005 | 18.3 | 13.5 |
| 2004 | 21.1 | 25.2 |
| 2003 | 22 | 29.9 |
| 2002 | 23.4 | 30.7 |
| 2001 | 21 | 37.7 |
| 2000 | 18.2 | 40.9 |
| 1999 | 22.2 | 46.1 |
| 1998 | 29.6 | 15.8 |
| 1997 | 30.9 | 17.1 |
| 1996 | 29.3 | 17.9 |
| 1995 | – | 24.2 |
| 1994 | – | 39.7 |
| 1993 | – | 50.4 |
| 1992 | – | 49.8 |
| 1991 | – | 53.2 |
| 1990 | – | 50.9 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Iran | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39.1 | 34.7 |
| 2027 | 40.2 | 32.8 |
| 2028 | 40.8 | 32.9 |
| 2029 | 41.7 | 32.5 |
| 2030 | 42.7 | 32.2 |
| 2031 | 43.4 | 31.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 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
Iran vs Nigeria
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIran: 94.2% in 2022Nigeria: 29% in 2022
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIran: 77.4% in 2025Nigeria: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIran: $7.45B in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025Nigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022