Nigeria vs South Sudan: Population growth
Nigeria
2.1%
in 2025
South Sudan
2.0%
in 2025
Nigeria rank
45th
South Sudan rank
48th
Population growth over time
- Nigeria
- South Sudan
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 2.1% against 2.0% in South Sudan, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Nigeria ahead.
Nigeria ranks 45th and South Sudan ranks 48th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 5 and South Sudan in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Sudan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 0.6% | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.3% | 0.4% | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 1.1% | 1.7% | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.0% | 0.6% | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 4.7% | 2.0% | South Sudan |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 1.2% | 1.4% | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.6% | 0.5% | South Sudan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population growth, Nigeria or South Sudan?
- Nigeria, at 2.1% against 2.0% in South Sudan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population growth between Nigeria and South Sudan?
- 0.1%, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Sudan?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and South Sudan rank globally for population growth?
- Nigeria ranks 45th and South Sudan ranks 48th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as Population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.