Born in Nigeria or in United States?
Two babies are born the same second, one in Nigeria and one in United States. This is what the numbers say about the two lives ahead of them.
- A baby born in Nigeria can expect to live 54.6 years; in United States, 79 years.
- A child in Nigeria is 17.8 times as likely to die before the age of five as a child in United States.
- Income per person in United States buys 9.4 times as much as in Nigeria.
- Each year about 7,717,990 babies are born in Nigeria and 3,622,919 in United States.
Side by side
| Indicator | Nigeria | United States | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and survival | |||
| Life expectancy, women (years) | 54.9 | 81.4 | 75.9 |
| Life expectancy, men (years) | 54.3 | 76.5 | 71 |
| Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000) | 69.8 | 5.5 | 27.8 |
| Children who die before 5 (per 1,000) | 115.6 | 6.5 | 37.6 |
| Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births) | 993 | 17 | 189 |
| Adults living with HIV (%) | 1.2 | โ 0.1 | 0.7 |
| Adults who smoke (%) | 3 | 16 | 20 |
| Alcohol per adult (litres a year) | 3.8 | 9.9 | 4.6 |
| Road deaths (per 100,000) | 20.7 | 12.7 | 17 |
| Homicides (per 100,000) | 15.8 | 5.8 | 4.7 |
| Family and school | |||
| Children per woman | 4.38 | 1.63 | 2.85 |
| Women married before 18 (%) | 33 | โ 17 | 18 |
| Children in primary school (%) | 64 | 95 | 89 |
| Secondary school enrolment (%) | 47 | 97 | 81 |
| Higher education enrolment (%) | 10 | 79 | 48 |
| Children aged 7โ14 who work (%) | 35.1 | โ 14.3 | 11.9 |
| Money and work | |||
| Income per person (PPP) | $8,145 | $76,931 | $21,797 |
| Income inequality (Gini, 0โ100) | 34 | 42 | 34 |
| Living on under $3 a day (%) | 41.8 | 1.1 | 9.9 |
| Unemployment (%) | 3.1 | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Jobs in farming (%) | 34 | 2 | 27 |
| Women in the workforce (%) | 81 | 56 | 48 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket (%) | 72 | 11 | 37 |
| Home and connection | |||
| Living in cities (%) | 64 | 80 | 58 |
| Access to electricity (%) | 63 | 100 | 92 |
| Safe drinking water (%) | 82 | 100 | 91 |
| Internet users (%) | 41 | 95 | 72 |
| Peace and wellbeing | |||
| Life satisfaction (0โ10) | 4.79 | 6.82 | 5.4 |
| Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year) | 1.37 | 0 | 2.43 |
| Refugees abroad (% of population) | 0.2 | 0 | 0.34 |
โ Estimated from the region
From 1960 to 2050
How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.
Nigeria: 1960: 37.3 โ 2026: 54.6 โ 2050: 58.6United States: 1960: 69.9 โ 2026: 79.1 โ 2050: 83.3
NigeriaUnited StatesWorld
Nigeria: 1960: 361 โ 2026: 111 โ 2050: 81United States: 1960: 30 โ 2026: 6 โ 2050: 5
NigeriaUnited StatesWorld
Nigeria: 1960: 6.4 โ 2026: 4.2 โ 2050: 2.7United States: 1960: 3.7 โ 2026: 1.6 โ 2050: 1.6
NigeriaUnited StatesWorld
Nigeria: 1960: 14 โ 2026: 65 โ 2050: 83United States: 1960: 70 โ 2026: 80 โ 2050: 86
NigeriaUnited StatesWorld
Nobody chooses where they are born
Free. No sign-up. Your lives stay on your device.
Be born nowMore comparisons
All 178 countries โ- India vs Nigeria
- Nigeria vs Ethiopia
- Viet Nam vs United States
- Korea, Rep. vs United States
- Japan vs United States
- China vs United States
- Thailand vs United States
- France vs United States
- India vs United States
- United States vs Mexico
- United States vs Canada
- United States vs United Kingdom
- United States vs Germany
- United States vs Brazil
Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.