Land area comparison · 2023 data
South Africa vs Nigeria.
Nigeria has the larger population; South Africa has the larger physical land footprint.
South Africa1,213,090 km²
Nigeria910,770 km²
South Africa has about 1.33 times the land area of Nigeria.
302,320 km²difference
South Africa is 133.2% of Nigeriarelative size
2023World Bank data
What the numbers say
Population and area tell different stories.
South Africa records 1,213,090 km² of land area and Nigeria 910,770 km². South Africa is about one third larger.
The 302,320 km² difference is substantial, even though Nigeria is often more prominent in population comparisons.
This page isolates physical land area so population and density do not blur the question.