Nigeria vs Rwanda: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre

Nigeria
155.57 people per square kilometre
in 2023
Rwanda
163.22 people per square kilometre
in 2023
Nigeria rank
48th
Rwanda rank
46th

Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre over time

  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
050100150196119922023

How they compare

Rwanda currently reports 163.22 people per square kilometre against 155.57 people per square kilometre in Nigeria, a difference of 7.65 people per square kilometre.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 63 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Nigeria ahead.

Nigeria ranks 48th and Rwanda ranks 46th of 215 countries.

Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria Rwanda Difference Ahead
1960s 9.48 people per square kilometre 4.06 people per square kilometre 5.42 people per square kilometre Nigeria
1970s 16.29 people per square kilometre 7.55 people per square kilometre 8.73 people per square kilometre Nigeria
1980s 28.64 people per square kilometre 12.67 people per square kilometre 15.97 people per square kilometre Nigeria
1990s 46.88 people per square kilometre 26.87 people per square kilometre 20.01 people per square kilometre Nigeria
2000s 74.52 people per square kilometre 61.23 people per square kilometre 13.29 people per square kilometre Nigeria
2010s 114.67 people per square kilometre 88.15 people per square kilometre 26.52 people per square kilometre Nigeria
2020s 147.92 people per square kilometre 147.01 people per square kilometre 0.9145 people per square kilometre Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre, Nigeria or Rwanda?
Rwanda, at 163.22 people per square kilometre against 155.57 people per square kilometre in Nigeria as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre between Nigeria and Rwanda?
7.65 people per square kilometre, with Rwanda ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Rwanda?
63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do Nigeria and Rwanda rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre?
Nigeria ranks 48th and Rwanda ranks 46th of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Statizoid (derived), published as Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs Rwanda: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 21 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-per-square-kilometre/nigeria/rwanda/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per square kilometre
Unit
people per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
215 places, 12,288 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.