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

Health

be 83.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In India, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 17.6 years longer

In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 41.4% less likely to be obese

In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 33.1% more spent on your healthcare

Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 90.3% more doctors per person

Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. India has 7.2 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 65.8% more access to essential health services

Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. India scores 63 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 37.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In India, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 91.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In India, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 11.0% more likely to be literate

In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In India, it is 78.2% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 66.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 50.8% fewer children

In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 62.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023. In India, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 69.9% more likely to have internet access

In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 16.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024. In India, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 20.3% less on healthcare

Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 12.8 times more on education

Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. India spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 8.2 times more coastline

Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 82.1% less likely to be murdered

Nigeria has a homicide rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In India, that number is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 10.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 39.4 times more home broadband

Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. India has 3.1 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 8.2 times more electricity

Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. India uses 1,182 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live with 6.9 times more strain on fresh water

Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 3.8 times more CO2

Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

India: At a glance

India is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,973,193 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
Read more

How big is India compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about India or Nigeria. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.