Compare
Nigeria vs United States
How Nigeria and United States compare on 38 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, United States was higher: 79.3 years against 54.5 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, United States was higher: $67,950 against $2,369
- Population · In 2023, United States was higher: 344 million people against 228 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, United States was higher: 3.12% of GDP against 0.91% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, United States was higher: 13.62 tonnes against 0.57 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyNigeria: 54.5 years in 2023United States: 79.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024United States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023United States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNigeria: 29% in 2022United States: 97.5% in 2022
- DepressionNigeria: 3.92% in 2017United States: 4.84% in 2017
- Suicide rateNigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017United States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNigeria: 228 million people in 2023United States: 344 million people in 2023
- Population growthNigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023United States: 0.58% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023United States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNigeria: 63.8% in 2025United States: 80.2% in 2025
- Median ageNigeria: 17.8 years in 2023United States: 38 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNigeria: 3% in 2023United States: 17.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateNigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023United States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingNigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025United States: 3.12% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsNigeria: $1.76B in 2025United States: $929B in 2025
- Military spending per personNigeria: $9 in 2025United States: $2,755 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingNigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025United States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNigeria: 223,000 people in 2020United States: 1.4 million people in 2020
- National powerNigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022United States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020United States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025United States: 745 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNigeria: 4 million TIV in 2022United States: 14 billion 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