Which has higher share of land defined as natural habitat, Nigeria or South Sudan?

South Sudan, at 26.37 against 26.07 in Nigeria as of 2010.

How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Sudan?

24 years are reported by both, from 1780 to 2010.

Where does this data come from?

Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of land defined as natural habitat. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Nigeria vs South Sudan: Share of land defined as natural habitat

Nigeria

26.07

in 2010

South Sudan

26.37

in 2010

Nigeria rank

142nd

South Sudan rank

140th

Share of land defined as natural habitat over time

Nigeria
South Sudan

How they compare

South Sudan currently reports 26.37 against 26.07 in Nigeria, a difference of 0.3.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1780 it was South Sudan ahead.

Nigeria ranks 142nd and South Sudan ranks 140th of 168 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 1 and South Sudan in 23.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Nigeria	South Sudan	Difference	Ahead
1780s	75.94	90.9	14.96	South Sudan
1790s	75.3	90.3	15	South Sudan
1800s	74.63	89.66	15.03	South Sudan
1810s	73.93	88.97	15.04	South Sudan
1820s	72.83	87.8	14.98	South Sudan
1830s	71.66	86.47	14.81	South Sudan
1840s	70.44	85	14.56	South Sudan
1850s	69.15	83.35	14.2	South Sudan
1860s	67.81	81.53	13.72	South Sudan
1870s	66.11	79.3	13.18	South Sudan
1880s	64.28	76.78	12.5	South Sudan
1890s	62.33	73.96	11.63	South Sudan
1900s	60.22	70.78	10.56	South Sudan
1910s	57.29	67.21	9.92	South Sudan
1920s	53.29	63.16	9.87	South Sudan
1930s	49.62	61.11	11.49	South Sudan
1940s	45.67	56.23	10.56	South Sudan
1950s	41.38	50.67	9.29	South Sudan
1960s	32.33	34.12	1.8	South Sudan
1970s	31.71	34.09	2.39	South Sudan
1980s	31.24	37.94	6.71	South Sudan
1990s	30.07	30.87	0.8009	South Sudan
2000s	28.55	27.62	0.9276	Nigeria
2010s	26.07	26.37	0.2958	South Sudan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of land defined as natural habitat, Nigeria or South Sudan?: South Sudan, at 26.37 against 26.07 in Nigeria as of 2010.
What is the difference in share of land defined as natural habitat between Nigeria and South Sudan?: 0.3, with South Sudan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Sudan?: 24 years are reported by both, from 1780 to 2010.
How do Nigeria and South Sudan rank globally for share of land defined as natural habitat?: Nigeria ranks 142nd and South Sudan ranks 140th of 168 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of land defined as natural habitat. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Share of land defined as natural habitat
Source: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 4,032 data points, 1780–2010
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Natural ecosystems include forest, grassland, savanna, and shrublands, and other classes such as peatlands and marshes. It is total land minus land that is used by humans for agriculture – either croplands or pasture – or for infrastructure and urban environments.