Compare
Nigeria vs United Kingdom
How Nigeria and United Kingdom compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, United Kingdom was higher: 81.3 years against 54.5 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, United Kingdom was higher: $48,420 against $2,369
- Population · In 2023, Nigeria was higher: 228 million people against 68.7 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, United Kingdom was higher: 2.35% of GDP against 0.91% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, United Kingdom was higher: 4.22 tonnes against 0.57 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023United Kingdom: 81.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024United Kingdom: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023United Kingdom: 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNigeria: 29% in 2022United Kingdom: 99.8% in 2022
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017United Kingdom: 4.12% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017United Kingdom: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023United Kingdom: 68.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023United Kingdom: 0.7% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023United Kingdom: 1.56 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025United Kingdom: 83.3% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023United Kingdom: 39.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023United Kingdom: 19.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023United Kingdom: 6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025United Kingdom: 2.35% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025United Kingdom: $88B in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025United Kingdom: $1,283 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025United Kingdom: 5.4% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020United Kingdom: 153,000 people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022United Kingdom: 1.25% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020United Kingdom: 0.45% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025United Kingdom: 609 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022United Kingdom: 702 million TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time