Nigeria vs South Africa
Nigeria vs South Africa: Arms exports
Arms exports: 4 million TIV in Nigeria in 2022 and 115 million TIV in South Africa in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in South Africa, by 109 million TIV, or 28 times that in Nigeria.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- South Africa has been higher since 2000, when it overtook Nigeria.
- The world as a whole: 33.3 billion TIV in 2022.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | Nigeria | South Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | 115 million | 33.5 billion |
| 2024 | – | 96 million | 30.7 billion |
| 2023 | – | 105 million | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 4 million | 113 million | 33.3 billion |
| 2021 | 3 million | 143 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2020 | – | 150 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2019 | – | 129 million | 27 billion |
| 2018 | – | 118 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2017 | – | 100 million | 31.3 billion |
| 2016 | – | 118 million | 31.5 billion |
| 2015 | – | 76 million | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | – | 89 million | 27.1 billion |
| 2013 | – | 109 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | – | 193 million | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | – | 76 million | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | – | 250 million | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | – | 108 million | 24.4 billion |
| 2008 | – | 142 million | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | – | 137 million | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | – | 200 million | 24.5 billion |
| 2005 | – | 36 million | 21.4 billion |
| 2004 | – | 74 million | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | – | 47 million | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | – | 22 million | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | – | 32 million | 18.5 billion |
| 2000 | 0 | 21 million | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | – | 24 million | 25.4 billion |
| 1998 | – | 14 million | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | – | 7 million | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | – | 31 million | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | – | 17 million | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | – | 13 million | 23 billion |
| 1993 | – | 54 million | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | – | 85 million | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | – | 54 million | 28.2 billion |
| 1990 | 3 million | – | 30.2 billion |
| 1989 | 2 million | 0 | 34.9 billion |
| 1988 | – | 25 million | 36.8 billion |
| 1987 | – | 28 million | 39.4 billion |
| 1986 | – | 25 million | 39 billion |
| 1985 | – | 25 million | 38.2 billion |
| 1984 | – | – | 41.6 billion |
| 1983 | – | – | 43.9 billion |
| 1982 | – | 1 million | 46.2 billion |
| 1981 | – | 49 million | 45.8 billion |
| 1980 | – | 49 million | 42.2 billion |
| 1979 | – | – | 38.4 billion |
| 1978 | – | – | 42.4 billion |
| 1977 | – | 0 | 40 billion |
| 1976 | – | 20 million | 36 billion |
| 1975 | – | 29 million | 37.2 billion |
| 1974 | – | 2 million | 36.6 billion |
| 1973 | – | 1 million | 36.3 billion |
| 1972 | – | 22 million | 34.5 billion |
| 1971 | – | 7 million | 32.9 billion |
| 1970 | – | 2 million | 25.3 billion |
| 1969 | – | 13 million | 28.1 billion |
| 1968 | – | 9 million | 26.1 billion |
| 1967 | – | 8 million | 25.6 billion |
| 1966 | – | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1965 | – | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1964 | – | – | 26.7 billion |
| 1963 | – | – | 20.3 billion |
| 1962 | – | – | 17.5 billion |
| 1961 | – | 33 million | 16.4 billion |
| 1960 | – | 27 million | 17.6 billion |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Major weapons the country sent abroad, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
- Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Nigeria vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025