Nigeria vs United States
Nigeria vs United States: Urban population
Urban population in 2025: 63.8% in Nigeria and 80.2% in United States, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 16.4 percentage points, or 1.26 times that in Nigeria.
% of people · UN
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
- In 2025, Nigeria ranked 119 and United States ranked 62 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Nigeria at 83.4% and United States at 86.5% in 2050.
Every year
% of people · UN
| Year | Nigeria | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 63.8 | 80.2 |
| 2024 | 63 | 80.1 |
| 2023 | 62.2 | 80.1 |
| 2022 | 61.4 | 80 |
| 2021 | 60.6 | 80 |
| 2020 | 59.8 | 80 |
| 2019 | 59 | 80.1 |
| 2018 | 58.2 | 80.3 |
| 2017 | 57.4 | 80.4 |
| 2016 | 56.5 | 80.5 |
| 2015 | 55.7 | 80.6 |
| 2014 | 54.9 | 80.6 |
| 2013 | 54.1 | 80.7 |
| 2012 | 53.3 | 80.7 |
| 2011 | 52.5 | 80.7 |
| 2010 | 51.7 | 80.7 |
| 2009 | 50.9 | 80.7 |
| 2008 | 50.1 | 80.6 |
| 2007 | 49.2 | 80.5 |
| 2006 | 48.4 | 80.4 |
| 2005 | 47.6 | 80.2 |
| 2004 | 46.7 | 80 |
| 2003 | 45.8 | 79.8 |
| 2002 | 45 | 79.6 |
| 2001 | 44.1 | 79.3 |
| 2000 | 43.3 | 79.1 |
| 1999 | 42.4 | 78.8 |
| 1998 | 41.6 | 78.5 |
| 1997 | 40.8 | 78.1 |
| 1996 | 40 | 77.7 |
| 1995 | 39.1 | 77.2 |
| 1994 | 38.3 | 76.7 |
| 1993 | 37.5 | 76.3 |
| 1992 | 36.8 | 75.9 |
| 1991 | 36 | 75.5 |
| 1990 | 35.2 | 75.3 |
| 1989 | 34.4 | 75.1 |
| 1988 | 33.6 | 74.9 |
| 1987 | 32.8 | 74.7 |
| 1986 | 32.1 | 74.5 |
| 1985 | 31.3 | 74.3 |
| 1984 | 30.5 | 74.2 |
| 1983 | 29.7 | 74 |
| 1982 | 29 | 73.9 |
| 1981 | 28.2 | 73.8 |
| 1980 | 27.4 | 73.8 |
| 1979 | 26.7 | 73.7 |
| 1978 | 25.9 | 73.7 |
| 1977 | 25.2 | 73.7 |
| 1976 | 24.4 | 73.6 |
| 1975 | 23.7 | 73.6 |
| 1974 | 23 | 73.6 |
| 1973 | 22.3 | 73.6 |
| 1972 | 21.6 | 73.6 |
| 1971 | 20.9 | 73.5 |
| 1970 | 20.2 | 73.5 |
| 1969 | 19.6 | 73.4 |
| 1968 | 18.9 | 73.3 |
| 1967 | 18.3 | 73 |
| 1966 | 17.7 | 72.7 |
| 1965 | 17.1 | 72.3 |
| 1964 | 16.5 | 71.9 |
| 1963 | 15.9 | 71.4 |
| 1962 | 15.4 | 70.9 |
| 1961 | 14.8 | 70.5 |
| 1960 | 14.2 | 70 |
| 1959 | 13.7 | 69.5 |
| 1958 | 13.2 | 69 |
| 1957 | 12.7 | 68.5 |
| 1956 | 12.2 | 67.9 |
| 1955 | 11.7 | 67.3 |
| 1954 | 11.3 | 66.6 |
| 1953 | 11 | 66 |
| 1952 | 10.7 | 65.3 |
| 1951 | 10.4 | 64.7 |
| 1950 | 10.1 | 64 |
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
| Year | Nigeria | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64.6 | 80.3 |
| 2027 | 65.4 | 80.4 |
| 2028 | 66.2 | 80.5 |
| 2029 | 67 | 80.6 |
| 2030 | 67.8 | 80.7 |
| 2031 | 68.6 | 80.9 |
| 2032 | 69.3 | 81.1 |
| 2033 | 70.1 | 81.2 |
| 2034 | 70.9 | 81.4 |
| 2035 | 71.7 | 81.7 |
| 2036 | 72.5 | 81.9 |
| 2037 | 73.3 | 82.1 |
| 2038 | 74.1 | 82.4 |
| 2039 | 74.9 | 82.6 |
| 2040 | 75.6 | 82.9 |
| 2041 | 76.4 | 83.2 |
| 2042 | 77.2 | 83.5 |
| 2043 | 78 | 83.8 |
| 2044 | 78.8 | 84.2 |
| 2045 | 79.5 | 84.5 |
| 2046 | 80.3 | 84.9 |
| 2047 | 81.1 | 85.3 |
| 2048 | 81.8 | 85.7 |
| 2049 | 82.6 | 86.1 |
| 2050 | 83.4 | 86.5 |
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
Nigeria vs United States
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
- 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