Nigeria vs Philippines: Population in largest city
Nigeria
17.16 million
in 2025
Philippines
15.23 million
in 2025
Nigeria rank
11th
Philippines rank
14th
Population in largest city over time
- Nigeria
- Philippines
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 17.16 million against 15.23 million in Philippines, a difference of 1.93 million.
That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.1 times Philippines's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Philippines ahead.
Nigeria ranks 11th and Philippines ranks 14th of 153 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 1 and Philippines in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | Philippines | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.08 million | 2.79 million | 1.71 million | Philippines |
| 1970s | 1.86 million | 4.73 million | 2.87 million | Philippines |
| 1980s | 3.45 million | 6.81 million | 3.36 million | Philippines |
| 1990s | 5.88 million | 9.08 million | 3.20 million | Philippines |
| 2000s | 8.69 million | 10.71 million | 2.02 million | Philippines |
| 2010s | 12.10 million | 12.77 million | 675,760 | Philippines |
| 2020s | 15.71 million | 14.55 million | 1.15 million | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in largest city, Nigeria or Philippines?
- Nigeria, at 17.16 million against 15.23 million in Philippines as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in largest city between Nigeria and Philippines?
- 1.93 million, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Philippines?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and Philippines rank globally for population in largest city?
- Nigeria ranks 11th and Philippines ranks 14th of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in largest city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.