Nigeria vs United States: Urban population
Urban population over time
- Nigeria
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 274.08 million against 151.48 million in Nigeria, a difference of 122.60 million.
That makes United States's figure about 1.8 times Nigeria's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Nigeria ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.41 million | 138.53 million | 130.12 million | United States |
| 1970s | 14.83 million | 158.28 million | 143.44 million | United States |
| 1980s | 26.08 million | 176.08 million | 150.00 million | United States |
| 1990s | 42.70 million | 203.80 million | 161.10 million | United States |
| 2000s | 67.87 million | 235.56 million | 167.69 million | United States |
| 2010s | 104.44 million | 257.91 million | 153.48 million | United States |
| 2020s | 139.49 million | 269.07 million | 129.58 million | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Nigeria or United States?
- United States, at 274.08 million against 151.48 million in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Nigeria and United States?
- 122.60 million, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and United States?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and United States rank globally for urban population?
- Nigeria ranks 6th and United States ranks 3rd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.