Home Compare Nigeria vs Vietnam

Nigeria vs Vietnam

Nigeria and Vietnam side by side: live population, demographics, economy, environment and digital indicators from the UN and the World Bank, plus charts that overlay the full history of both countries. Change either country to compare any pair.

At a glance

Live population · UN WPP
Flag of Nigeria

Nigeria

Africa · #6 of 238 by population
Live population
243,860,821
+2% a year · full profile · atlas
vs
Flag of Viet Nam

Vietnam

Asia · #16 of 238 by population
Live population
102,345,579
+0.6% a year · full profile · atlas
Nigeria has 2.4× the population of Vietnam (70.4% vs 29.6% of the two combined).

Nigeria vs Vietnam: 28 indicators side by side

Latest available figures · October 2026
IndicatorNigeriaVietnamDifference
👥 Population
Population
people
243,860,821102,345,579Nigeria 2.4×
Population growth rate
% per year
+2+0.6+1.5 pts
Population density
people per km²
2642026308.92026-44.9
Surface area
km²
923,7702023331,3382023Nigeria 2.8×
Birth rate
births per 1,000 people
32.5202413.42024+19.1
Death rate
deaths per 1,000 people
11.620246.62024+5
Net migration rate
per 1,000 people per year
0-0.5+0.5
Urban population
% of population
63.8202538.82025+24.9 pts
Sex ratio
males per 100 females
102.596+6.5
❤️ Demographics & Health
Life expectancy
years
54.6202474.72024-20.1
Fertility rate
births per woman
4.3820241.92024+2.49
Median age
years
18.333.9-15.6
Infant mortality
deaths per 1,000 live births
66.914+52.9
Population under 15
% of population
40.5202522.92025+17.7 pts
Population aged 65+
% of population
3.120259.52025-6.4 pts
💰 Economy
GDP
current US$
$290.79B2025$514.70B2025Vietnam 1.8×
GDP per capita
current US$
$1,2242025$5,0662025Vietnam 4.1×
Unemployment rate
% of labor force
3.120251.52025+1.5 pts
Inflation rate
% annual, consumer prices
2320253.32025+19.7 pts
🌱 Environment & Energy
CO₂ emissions
Mt CO₂ per year
131.92024430.82024Vietnam 3.3×
CO₂ emissions per capita
tonnes per person
0.5720244.272024-3.7
Energy use per capita
kg of oil equivalent per person
32020231,0182023Vietnam 3.2×
Renewable energy share
% of final energy
80.3202124.22021+56.1 pts
Forest area
% of land area
23.2202347.42023-24.2 pts
Freshwater resources per capita
m³ per person per year
99020223,6062022Vietnam 3.6×
Water stress
% of resources withdrawn
5.6202222.82022-17.1 pts
📶 Digital
Internet users
% of population
41.2202484.22024-42.9 pts
Mobile subscriptions
per 100 people
70.82024127.62024-56.8

▲ marks the higher value (for death rate, infant mortality, unemployment, inflation, CO₂ and water stress: the lower value). "Difference" is the ratio for absolute measures and Nigeria minus Vietnam for rates and shares. Years in grey are the latest available for that country.

Nigeria compared with Vietnam

Updated October 2026

Nigeria has a live population of about 243,860,821 (#6 in the world) and Vietnam about 102,345,579 (#16), so Nigeria has 2.4 times as many people as Vietnam. Nigeria is growing at 2% a year and Vietnam at 0.6%.

By area Nigeria is larger: 923,770 km² against 331,338 km², which gives population densities of 264 people per km² in Nigeria and 308.9 in Vietnam.

Nigeria's economy is worth $290.79B (2025) and Vietnam's $514.70B (2025); per person that is $1,224 in Nigeria versus $5,066 in Vietnam, so the average Vietnam resident produces 4.1 times as much.

Life expectancy is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 74.7 in Vietnam; women have 4.4 children on average in Nigeria compared with 1.9 in Vietnam; the median age is 18.3 versus 33.9 years.

63.8% of Nigeria's people live in cities against 38.8% in Vietnam; 41.2% use the internet in Nigeria and 84.2% in Vietnam; CO₂ emissions per person are 0.6 t in Nigeria and 4.3 t in Vietnam.

Population over time

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Life expectancy & fertility

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Birth & death rates

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Age structure

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

CO₂ emissions

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Energy use & renewables

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Forest area

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Urban population

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Water resources & stress

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Economy

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Unemployment & inflation

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Internet & mobile

Nigeria vs Vietnam
NigeriaVietnam

Frequently asked questions

Which is bigger, Nigeria or Vietnam?

By population Nigeria is bigger: 243,860,821 people versus 102,345,579 (live estimates, October 2026). By area Nigeria is larger (923,770 km² vs 331,338 km²).

Which has the larger economy, Nigeria or Vietnam?

Vietnam: GDP of $514,697,215,165 versus $290,794,361,542 in current US dollars (World Bank, 2025/2025).

Where do people live longer, Nigeria or Vietnam?

Life expectancy at birth is 54.6 years in Nigeria and 74.7 years in Vietnam, a difference of 20.1 years in favour of Vietnam.

How are these comparisons calculated?

Live populations extrapolate the UN World Population Prospects baseline with each country's growth rate; every other figure is the latest value published by World Bank Open Data (or the UN for median age, infant mortality and migration). Each row shows the year of the figure, and the charts below overlay the full historical series of both countries.

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Sources & method: live populations are linear extrapolations of the UN World Population Prospects estimates; all other indicators are the latest values from World Bank Open Data (UN WPP for median age, infant mortality, sex ratio and net migration). Figures are statistical estimates, not census counts. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.