Nigeria vs United States
United States has 1.4× the population of Nigeria: 341,784,857 vs 237,527,782, a gap of 104.3 million. Nigeria is growing faster (+2.06% vs +0.52% a year), adding about 4,898,468 people a year against +1,785,717. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Nigeria would overtake United States in about 24 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2049) — a projection, not a forecast. United States is the older society: 18.4% aged 65+ against 3.1% in Nigeria, while Nigeria has more children (40.5% under 15 vs 17.1%). Nigeria is 6.8× as densely populated (250.2 vs 36.8 people per km²). People in United States live 24.3 years longer on average (78.9 vs 54.6). GDP per capita is 73.5× higher in United States ($90,027 vs $1,224).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Nigeria) and 2025 (United States); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Nigeria vs United States — side by side
 Nigeria |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 237,527,7822025 | 341,784,8572025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +2.06%2025 | +0.52%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 32.52024 | 10.62024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 11.62024 | 9.02024 |
| Children per woman | 4.382024 | 1.632024 |
| Life expectancy | 54.6 yrs2024 | 78.9 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 40.5%2025 | 17.1%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 3.1%2025 | 18.4%2025 |
| Density | 250.2 /km²2023 | 36.8 /km²2023 |
| Area | 923,770 km²2023 | 9,831,510 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 63.8%2025 | 80.2%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -15,2582025 | +1,230,6632025 |
| GDP per capita | $1,2242025 | $90,0272025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #6 | #3 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 2.89% | 4.16% |
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; United States: 1.9× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Regions: Sub-Saharan Africa · North America · 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.
United States: United States vs India, United States vs China, United States vs Indonesia, United States vs Pakistan, United States vs Nigeria, United States vs Brazil, United States vs Bangladesh, United States vs Russia.
Compare anything
Pick any two. The result renders instantly from the same live data as the map, and the URL updates so you can share it.
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
Compare like with like
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.