Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Nigeria instead of Sri Lanka, you would:

Health

be 13.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sri Lanka, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2020.

live 16.2 years less

In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2022.

be 71.2% more likely to be obese

In Sri Lanka, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Nigeria, that number is 8.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 51.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Sri Lanka, 6.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

make 56.2% less money

Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $13,000 as of 2023, while in Nigeria, the GDP per capita is $5,700 as of 2023.

be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Nigeria, however, that number is 40.1% as of 2018.

pay a 60.0% higher top tax rate

Sri Lanka has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Nigeria, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 14.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nigeria, there are 33.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 62.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Sri Lanka, approximately 29.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Nigeria, 47.0 women do as of 2020.

be 32.8% less likely to be literate

In Sri Lanka, the literacy rate is 92.3% as of 2019. In Nigeria, it is 62.0% as of 2018.

be 6.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Sri Lanka, approximately 8.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Nigeria, on the other hand, 56.7 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 39.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sri Lanka, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Nigeria, that number is 60% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 17.9% less likely to have internet access

In Sri Lanka, approximately 67.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nigeria, about 55.0% do as of 2021.

be 11.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sri Lanka, approximately 93% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 83% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 73.7% less on education

Sri Lanka spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Nigeria spends 0.5% of total GDP on education as of 2013.

spend 17.1% less on healthcare

Sri Lanka spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 36.3% less coastline

Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Nigeria, that number is 853 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria, Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department.

Nigeria: At a glance

Nigeria is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 910,768 sq km. British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history and the elections of 2011 were generally regarded as credible. In January 2014, Nigeria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2014-15 term.
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How big is Nigeria compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.

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