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Nigeria vs South Korea

Flag of Nigeria

Nigeria

237,527,782#6 · +2.06%/yr
vs
Flag of South Korea

South Korea

51,684,564#29 · −0.13%/yr

Nigeria has 4.6× the population of South Korea: 237,527,782 vs 51,684,564, a gap of 185.8 million. Nigeria is growing faster (+2.06% vs −0.13% a year), adding about 4,898,468 people a year against −66,458. At these source-year rates the modelled relative population gap is widening. South Korea is the older society: 20.3% aged 65+ against 3.1% in Nigeria, while Nigeria has more children (40.5% under 15 vs 10.2%). South Korea is 2.1× as densely populated (529.8 vs 250.2 people per km²). People in South Korea live 29.0 years longer on average (83.6 vs 54.6). GDP per capita is 29.6× higher in South Korea ($36,227 vs $1,224).

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

Nigeria vs South Korea — side by side

Flag of Nigeria NigeriaFlag of South Korea South Korea
Population237,527,782202551,684,5642025
Growth rate / yr+2.06%2025−0.13%2025
Births per 1,00032.520244.72024
Deaths per 1,00011.620247.02024
Children per woman4.3820240.752024
Life expectancy54.6 yrs202483.6 yrs2024
Aged 0–1440.5%202510.2%2025
Aged 65+3.1%202520.3%2025
Density250.2 /km²2023529.8 /km²2023
Area923,770 km²2023100,450 km²2023
Urban population63.8%202581.2%2025
Net migration / yr-15,2582025+65,7312025
GDP per capita$1,2242025$36,2272025
Country population rank (available records)#6#29
Base / world population (World Bank 2025)2.89%0.63%

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). Nigeria: 5.3× from 1960 to 2025; South Korea: 2.1× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.

062.9M125.9M188.8M251.8M1960197019801990200020102020NigeriaSouth Korea01402794195591960197019801990200020102020NigeriaSouth Korea

More comparisons

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

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.

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

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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.