Nigeria vs Kenya
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
Nigeria and Kenya are West and East Africa's largest economies respectively. Nigeria's GDP is roughly five times Kenya's, driven by oil exports and a population of 220 million (vs Kenya's 55 million). However, Kenya has emerged as East Africa's technology and financial hub, with innovations like M-Pesa mobile money and a thriving startup ecosystem in Nairobi. Kenya's economy is more diversified (agriculture, tourism, services, technology) and less volatile than Nigeria's oil-dependent model. Kenya's GDP per capita is comparable to Nigeria's despite the overall size gap.
Nigeria has a GDP of $334.34B compared to Kenya's $140.87B, making it 2.4x larger. Nigeria's population is 232.7M vs Kenya's 56.4M. Across 12 key indicators, Nigeria leads in 6 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Nigeria |  Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $334.34B✓ | $140.87B |
| GDP per Capita | $1,378 | $2,596✓ |
| GDP Growth (%) | 4.2% | 4.9%✓ |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $9,861✓ | $7,929 |
| Population | 232.7M✓ | 56.4M |
| Life Expectancy | 54.5 years | 63.6 years✓ |
| Inflation (%) | 22.0% | 5.2%✓ |
| Unemployment (%) | N/A | N/A |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 35.0%✓ | 70.1% |
| Fertility Rate | 4.5✓ | 3.2 |
| Gini Index | 33.9✓ | 37.7 |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 0.6 | 0.4✓ |
Summary
Nigeria has a GDP of $334.34B compared to Kenya's $140.87B, making the former economy 2.4x larger. In terms of population, Nigeria has 232.7M people while Kenya has 56.4M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Nigeria leads in 6 and Kenya leads in 5.