Ethiopia vs Nigeria: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Ethiopia
42.37 million people
in 2020
Nigeria
41.56 million people
in 2020
Ethiopia rank
5th
Nigeria rank
6th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Ethiopia
- Nigeria
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 42.37 million people against 41.56 million people in Nigeria, a difference of 812,200 people.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Nigeria ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 5th and Nigeria ranks 6th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 4 and Nigeria in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.17 million people | 13.43 million people | 2.26 million people | Nigeria |
| 1960s | 13.04 million people | 15.27 million people | 2.23 million people | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 15.59 million people | 17.41 million people | 1.82 million people | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 20.01 million people | 21.92 million people | 1.91 million people | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 26.62 million people | 26.31 million people | 314,750 people | Ethiopia |
| 2000s | 34.40 million people | 30.20 million people | 4.20 million people | Ethiopia |
| 2010s | 40.40 million people | 35.60 million people | 4.80 million people | Ethiopia |
| 2020s | 42.37 million people | 41.56 million people | 812,200 people | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, Ethiopia or Nigeria?
- Ethiopia, at 42.37 million people against 41.56 million people in Nigeria as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 812,200 people, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ethiopia and Nigeria rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Ethiopia ranks 5th and Nigeria ranks 6th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.