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Japan vs Nigeria

Flag of Japan

Japan

123,366,734#12 · −0.49%/yr
vs
Flag of Nigeria

Nigeria

237,527,782#6 · +2.06%/yr

Nigeria has 1.9× the population of Japan: 237,527,782 vs 123,366,734, a gap of 114.2 million. Nigeria is growing faster (+2.06% vs −0.49% a year), adding about 4,898,468 people a year against −607,141. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is widening. Japan is the older society: 30.0% aged 65+ against 3.1% in Nigeria, while Nigeria has more children (40.5% under 15 vs 11.2%). Japan is 1.4× as densely populated (341.5 vs 250.2 people per km²). People in Japan live 29.4 years longer on average (84.0 vs 54.6). GDP per capita is 29.4× higher in Japan ($35,951 vs $1,224).

Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Japan) and 2025 (Nigeria); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.

Japan vs Nigeria — side by side

Flag of Japan JapanFlag of Nigeria Nigeria
Population123,366,7342025237,527,7822025
Growth rate / yr−0.49%2025+2.06%2025
Births per 1,0005.7202432.52024
Deaths per 1,00013.3202411.62024
Children per woman1.1520244.382024
Life expectancy84.0 yrs202454.6 yrs2024
Aged 0–1411.2%202540.5%2025
Aged 65+30.0%20253.1%2025
Density341.5 /km²2023250.2 /km²2023
Area377,969 km²2023923,770 km²2023
Urban population92.3%202563.8%2025
Net migration / yr+140,5792025-15,2582025
GDP per capita$35,9512025$1,2242025
Country population rank (available records)#12#6
Base / world population (World Bank 2025)1.50%2.89%

Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.

Population since 1960

World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Japan: 1.3× from 1960 to 2025; Nigeria: 5.3× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.

062.9M125.9M188.8M251.8M1960197019801990200020102020JapanNigeria01402794195591960197019801990200020102020JapanNigeria

More comparisons

Regions: East Asia & Pacific · Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings

Japan: Japan vs India, Japan vs China, Japan vs United States, Japan vs Indonesia, Japan vs Pakistan, Japan vs Nigeria, Japan vs Brazil, Japan vs Bangladesh.

Nigeria: Nigeria vs India, Nigeria vs China, Nigeria vs United States, Nigeria vs Indonesia, Nigeria vs Pakistan, Nigeria vs Brazil, Nigeria vs Bangladesh, Nigeria vs Russia.

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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.

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Interpretation reviewed 12 October 2026. Underlying reference years are stated on the page; this is not a fresh census or dataset refresh.