Nigeria is 1.66× the size of France
Nigeria covers about 907,000 km² (350,000 mi²) and France about 548,000 km² (212,000 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.
- 907,000km²Nigeria
- 548,000km²France
200 km
- Nigeria
- 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 is 60% of the size of Nigeria.
- Nigeria is larger by 360,000 km² (139,000 mi²), which is 66% of the area of France.
- Measured in Belgiums: Nigeria is about 29.6, France about 17.9.
How they differ
- Nigeria also has the larger population: 211.4 million against 68.6 million, 3.08× as many people.
- Per square kilometre that is 233 in Nigeria against 108 in France: Nigeria is 2.16× as densely populated.
- Their centres are about 4,140 km apart.
- On a standard web map France looks larger than Nigeria: Nigeria at 10°N is drawn about 1.0× too large and France at 47°N about 2.1×, so the map shows France as 1.24× the size of Nigeria, when Nigeria is 1.66× the size of France.
- Together Nigeria and France cover 1,455,000 km², close to the size of Mongolia (1,565,000 km², 7.5% bigger).
- The gap between them, 360,000 km², is about the size of Germany (358,000 km²).
- At France's density, Nigeria would have 97.8 million people (it has 211.4 million). At Nigeria's density, France would have 148.3 million (it has 68.6 million).
- France's centre is 36.9° of latitude, about 4,100 km, farther north than Nigeria's.
Who wins on what
| Measure | Winner | By |
|---|---|---|
| Larger area | Nigeria | 1.66× |
| More people | Nigeria | 3.08× |
| More crowded | Nigeria | 2.16× |
| Farther north | France | 36.9° of latitude |
| Stretched more on a web map | France | 2.1× against 1.0× |
Both against the same yardsticks
| Yardstick | Nigeria | France |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium 30,700 km² | 29.6× | 17.9× |
| United Kingdom 244,000 km² | 3.72× | 2.25× |
| Germany 358,000 km² | 2.54× | 1.53× |
| Japan 374,000 km² | 2.43× | 1.47× |
| India 3,151,000 km² | 0.29× | 0.17× |
| Brazil 8,473,000 km² | 0.11× | 0.06× |
| United States 9,447,000 km² | 0.10× | 0.06× |
| Russia 16,980,000 km² | 0.05× | 0.03× |
Each figure is the place's area divided by the yardstick's.
Side by side
| Nigeria | France | |
|---|---|---|
| Area, main territory | 907,000 km²350,000 mi² | 548,000 km²212,000 mi² |
| Area with overseas territory | 907,000 km² | 637,000 km² |
| Population | 211.4 millionWikidata, 2021 | 68.6 millionWikidata, 2025 |
| Density | 233 per km² | 108 per km² |
| Official area | 924,000 km²Wikidata | 644,000 km²Wikidata |
| Capital | Abuja | Paris |
| Latitude range | 4°N to 14°N | 41°N to 51°N |
| Continent | Africa | Europe |
Population: Wikidata 2021 and Wikidata 2025, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).
- Wikidata's official figure of 924,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 907,000 km², to within 2%.
- Wikidata's official figure of 644,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 637,000 km², to within 2%.
Similar in size to Nigeria
Similar in size to France
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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