Nigeria has a population density of 690 people per square mile compared to 5,493 people in the Vatican. Nigeria has 42,734 sq ft of land per person vs 5,274 sq ft in the Vatican. Nigeria and the Vatican rank 41st and 3rd by population density, respectively.
Population density is calculated as the ratio of population to land area. Nigeria has 2.86% of the world's population and 0.61% of all countries' land area, compared to 0.00001% of the population and 0.0000003% of the land area for the Vatican, making the population density in Nigeria 87.4% lower than in the Vatican.
Population density by year
people per square mile
| Year | Population density | |
|---|---|---|
Nigeria
|
Vatican
|
|
| 2026 | 690 | 5,493 |
| 2025 | 676 | 5,460 |
| 2024 | 662 | 5,362 |
| 2023 | 648 | 5,460 |
| 2022 | 635 | 5,602 |
| 2021 | 621 | 5,723 |
| 2020 | 609 | 5,810 |
| 2019 | 596 | 5,886 |
| 2018 | 583 | - |
| 2017 | 569 | 5,886 |
| 2016 | 556 | - |
| 2015 | 542 | 5,886 |
| 2014 | 529 | 4,956 |
| 2013 | 515 | 4,939 |
| 2012 | 501 | 4,921 |
| 2011 | 487 | 4,897 |
| 2010 | 474 | 4,880 |
| 2009 | 461 | 4,862 |
| 2008 | 448 | 4,850 |
| 2007 | 436 | 4,833 |
| 2006 | 424 | 5,486 |
| 2005 | 412 | 5,421 |
| 2004 | 401 | 5,421 |
| 2003 | 390 | 5,362 |
| 2002 | 380 | 5,298 |
| 2001 | 369 | 5,239 |
| 2000 | 359 | 5,180 |
| 1999 | 350 | 5,180 |
| 1998 | 341 | 5,195 |
| 1997 | 332 | 5,217 |
| 1996 | 323 | 5,254 |
| 1995 | 315 | 5,306 |
| 1994 | 307 | 5,373 |
| 1993 | 298.9 | 5,388 |
| 1992 | 291.1 | 5,388 |
| 1991 | 283.6 | 5,395 |
| 1990 | 276.2 | 5,403 |
| 1989 | 268.8 | 5,418 |
| 1988 | 261.7 | 5,433 |
| 1987 | 254.8 | 5,418 |
| 1986 | 248.1 | 5,455 |
| 1985 | 241.4 | 5,462 |
| 1984 | 234.7 | 5,492 |
| 1983 | 228.7 | 5,507 |
| 1982 | 222.9 | 5,522 |
| 1981 | 216.3 | 5,522 |
| 1980 | 209.8 | 5,500 |
| 1979 | 203.3 | 5,492 |
| 1978 | 197.1 | 5,470 |
| 1977 | 191.2 | 5,448 |
| 1976 | 185.6 | 5,448 |
| 1975 | 180.3 | 5,448 |
| 1974 | 175.4 | 5,470 |
| 1973 | 170.9 | 5,477 |
| 1972 | 166.6 | 5,507 |
| 1971 | 162.7 | 5,559 |
| 1970 | 158.9 | 5,633 |
| 1969 | 155.4 | 5,797 |
| 1968 | 151.9 | 6,176 |
| 1967 | 148.7 | 6,317 |
| 1966 | 145.6 | 6,867 |
| 1965 | 142.4 | 6,830 |
| 1964 | 139.4 | 6,815 |
| 1963 | 136.4 | 6,815 |
| 1962 | 133.6 | 6,808 |
| 1961 | 130.8 | 6,837 |
| 1960 | - | 6,837 |
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/nigeria/vatican | CC BY 
From 2006 to 2026, population density in Nigeria increased by 62.7%, compared to a 0.13% growth in the Vatican.
In 2006, Nigeria ranked 53rd by population density and is 41st now. The Vatican was 3rd in 2006 and still ranks 3rd out of 197 currently.
Population density comparison
|
Nigeria
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population density | 690 ppl/mi² | 5,493 ppl/mi² |
| Population density rank | 41/197 | 3/197 |
| Population |
243824469
|
936
|
| Land area | 351,650 sq mi | 0.17 sq mi |
| Land area per capita | 42,133 sq ft | 4,736 sq ft |
| Rural population | 37% | n/a |
| Urban population | 63% | n/a |
| Living in agglomerations of 1M+ people | 13.8% | 0% |
Densely populated cities
|
Nigeria
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| Lagos | 15.1M |
| Kano | 4.35M |
| Port Harcourt | 3.32M |
| Ibadan | 2.55M |
| Benin | 1.78M |
| Abuja | 1.69M |
| Onitsha | 1.48M |
| Maiduguri | 1.2M |
| Aba | 1.16M |
| Enugu | 1.03M |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
Population density in other countries
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/nigeria/vatican | CC BY
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Data sources:
- World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
- United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)
- U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08)
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20)
- Wikidata (2006–2024, retrieved 2026-02-08)
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.