Niger is 2.16× the size of France

Niger covers about 1,181,000 km² (456,000 mi²) and France about 548,000 km² (212,000 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.

1,181,000km²Niger
548,000km²France

500 km

Niger
France

Outlines show main territory. France also has about 88,900 km² of overseas territory. These are not drawn, and not counted in the comparison.

What fits

France fits inside Niger about 2.16 times by area.
Niger is larger by 633,000 km² (245,000 mi²), which is 116% of the area of France.
Measured in Belgiums: Niger is about 38.5, France about 17.9.

How they differ

Niger is larger, but France has the larger population: 68.6 million against 21.5 million, 3.19× as many people.
Per square kilometre that is 108 in France against 18 in Niger: France is 5.93× as densely populated.
Their centres are about 3,290 km apart.
A standard web map misstates the comparison: Niger at 17°N is drawn about 1.1× too large and France at 47°N about 2.1×, so the map shows Niger as 1.12× the size of France instead of 2.16×.
Together Niger and France cover 1,729,000 km², close to the size of Libya (1,624,000 km², 6.1% smaller).
The gap between them, 633,000 km², is about the size of South Sudan (627,000 km²).
At France's density, Niger would have 127.3 million people (it has 21.5 million). At Niger's density, France would have 11.6 million (it has 68.6 million).
France's centre is 29.1° of latitude, about 3,240 km, farther north than Niger's.

Who wins on what

Measure	Winner	By
Larger area	Niger	2.16×
More people	France	3.19×
More crowded	France	5.93×
Farther north	France	29.1° of latitude
Stretched more on a web map	France	2.1× against 1.1×

Both against the same yardsticks

Yardstick	Niger	France
Belgium 30,700 km²	38.5×	17.9×
United Kingdom 244,000 km²	4.85×	2.25×
Germany 358,000 km²	3.30×	1.53×
Japan 374,000 km²	3.16×	1.47×
India 3,151,000 km²	0.37×	0.17×
Brazil 8,473,000 km²	0.14×	0.06×
United States 9,447,000 km²	0.13×	0.06×
Russia 16,980,000 km²	0.07×	0.03×

Each figure is the place's area divided by the yardstick's.

Side by side

	Niger	France
Area, main territory	1,181,000 km²456,000 mi²	548,000 km²212,000 mi²
Area with overseas territory	1,181,000 km²	637,000 km²
Population	21.5 millionWikidata, 2017	68.6 millionWikidata, 2025
Density	18 per km²	108 per km²
Official area	1,267,000 km²Wikidata	644,000 km²Wikidata
Capital	Niamey	Paris
Latitude range	12°N to 24°N	41°N to 51°N
Continent	Africa	Europe

Population: Wikidata 2017 and Wikidata 2025, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).

Our measured 1,181,000 km² is 6.8% below Wikidata's official figure of 1,267,000 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently. This difference is flagged for review.
Wikidata's official figure of 644,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 637,000 km², to within 2%.

Similar in size to Niger

Similar in size to France

More comparisons

Sources and method

Outlines: Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain
Boundary: De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth. Main territory: the largest landmass and every part within 1,000 km of it.
Area: Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded. Comparisons use main-territory area.
Drawing: Each outline is projected with an equal-area projection centred on its own centroid, so areas stay true and the two can be laid over each other.
Data built: 2026-11-11

Full method