Nigeria vs United States of America: Population in largest city
Nigeria
17.16 million
in 2025
United States of America
19.15 million
in 2025
Nigeria rank
11th
United States of America rank
8th
Population in largest city over time
- Nigeria
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 19.15 million against 17.16 million in Nigeria, a difference of 2.00 million.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.1 times Nigeria's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
Nigeria ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 8th of 153 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.08 million | 15.08 million | 14.00 million | United States of America |
| 1970s | 1.86 million | 15.91 million | 14.05 million | United States of America |
| 1980s | 3.45 million | 15.80 million | 12.36 million | United States of America |
| 1990s | 5.88 million | 16.86 million | 10.98 million | United States of America |
| 2000s | 8.69 million | 18.06 million | 9.37 million | United States of America |
| 2010s | 12.10 million | 18.61 million | 6.52 million | United States of America |
| 2020s | 15.71 million | 18.94 million | 3.23 million | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in largest city, Nigeria or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 19.15 million against 17.16 million in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in largest city between Nigeria and United States of America?
- 2.00 million, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and United States of America?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and United States of America rank globally for population in largest city?
- Nigeria ranks 11th and United States of America ranks 8th 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.