Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Nigeria instead of California, you would:

Health

live 17.7 years less

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

be 39.8% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Nigeria, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.

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make 93.2% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Nigeria, the GDP per capita is $5,700 as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 40.6% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Nigeria, about 55.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: California vs. Nigeria
Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Nigeria is 62.5% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 2.3 times smaller than Nigeria.
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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 California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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