Nigeria vs South Africa: Country area — Area

Nigeria
92,377 1000 ha
in 2024
South Africa
121,960 1000 ha
in 2024
Nigeria rank
32nd
South Africa rank
27th

Country area — Area over time

  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
025.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k196119922024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 121,960 1000 ha against 92,377 1000 ha in Nigeria, a difference of 29,583 1000 ha.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times Nigeria's.

Across all 64 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Nigeria ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 27th of 231 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 92,377 1000 ha 121,909 1000 ha 29,532 1000 ha South Africa
1970s 92,377 1000 ha 121,909 1000 ha 29,532 1000 ha South Africa
1980s 92,377 1000 ha 121,909 1000 ha 29,532 1000 ha South Africa
1990s 92,377 1000 ha 121,909 1000 ha 29,532 1000 ha South Africa
2000s 92,377 1000 ha 121,909 1000 ha 29,532 1000 ha South Africa
2010s 92,377 1000 ha 121,909 1000 ha 29,532 1000 ha South Africa
2020s 92,377 1000 ha 121,919 1000 ha 29,542 1000 ha South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher country area — area, Nigeria or South Africa?
South Africa, at 121,960 1000 ha against 92,377 1000 ha in Nigeria as of 2024.
What is the difference in country area — area between Nigeria and South Africa?
29,583 1000 ha, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for country area — area?
Nigeria ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 27th of 231 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as Country area — Area. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs South Africa: Country area — Area. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/country-area-area/nigeria/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Country area — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
284 places, 16,500 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.