Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nigeria instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
see 26.5% more spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nigeria spends $260 as of 2023.
have 3.5 times more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Nigeria has 3.8 as of 2023.
be 26.2% less likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nigeria, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Senegal, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.
live 14.3 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024.
be 17.9% more likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 13.7% of people as of 2024.
have 24.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nigeria scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nigeria, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 49.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Nigeria, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2022.
make 37.4% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Nigeria, the GDP per capita is $1,224 as of 2025.
Life
be 39.8% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Nigeria, it is 70.4% as of 2024.
have 11.3% more children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nigeria, there are 32.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Nigeria, 993.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Nigeria, on the other hand, 69.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 61% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 31.5% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nigeria, about 41.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 94.8% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nigeria spends 0.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.6% more coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Nigeria, that number is 853 km.
Safety
be 17.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nigeria, they kill 17.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 40.6% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nigeria withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 98.0% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nigeria has 0.1 as of 2024.
use 64.9% less electricity
Senegal uses 410 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nigeria uses 144 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 26.0% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 18.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nigeria, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Nigeria
Nigeria: At a glance
How big is Nigeria compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.