Nigeria vs United Kingdom: Urban area over the long-term
Nigeria
11,202 km² per grid cell
in 2025
United Kingdom
14,143 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Nigeria rank
14th
United Kingdom rank
11th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Nigeria
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 14,143 km² per grid cell against 11,202 km² per grid cell in Nigeria, a difference of 2,941 km² per grid cell.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.3 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Nigeria ranks 14th and United Kingdom ranks 11th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom in 39.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0071 km² per grid cell | 27.1 km² per grid cell | 27.09 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1100s | 0.0227 km² per grid cell | 52.65 km² per grid cell | 52.63 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1200s | 0.0726 km² per grid cell | 65.71 km² per grid cell | 65.64 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1300s | 0.2451 km² per grid cell | 88.29 km² per grid cell | 88.04 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1400s | 0.8169 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 38.76 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1500s | 2.7 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 36.88 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1600s | 10.29 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 29.28 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1700s | 39.7 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 0.1253 km² per grid cell | Nigeria |
| 1710s | 44.25 km² per grid cell | 93.19 km² per grid cell | 48.94 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1720s | 47.94 km² per grid cell | 164.48 km² per grid cell | 116.55 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1730s | 51.93 km² per grid cell | 243.67 km² per grid cell | 191.74 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1740s | 56.24 km² per grid cell | 331.46 km² per grid cell | 275.23 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1750s | 60.9 km² per grid cell | 428.76 km² per grid cell | 367.86 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1760s | 65.94 km² per grid cell | 475.08 km² per grid cell | 409.14 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1770s | 71.39 km² per grid cell | 524.72 km² per grid cell | 453.33 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1780s | 77.28 km² per grid cell | 577.95 km² per grid cell | 500.67 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 83.64 km² per grid cell | 635.1 km² per grid cell | 551.46 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 90.52 km² per grid cell | 696.54 km² per grid cell | 606.02 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 97.94 km² per grid cell | 783.4 km² per grid cell | 685.46 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 105.96 km² per grid cell | 1,098 km² per grid cell | 991.86 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 114.62 km² per grid cell | 1,384 km² per grid cell | 1,269 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 123.97 km² per grid cell | 1,819 km² per grid cell | 1,695 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 134.05 km² per grid cell | 2,071 km² per grid cell | 1,937 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 152.54 km² per grid cell | 2,446 km² per grid cell | 2,293 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 174.32 km² per grid cell | 2,934 km² per grid cell | 2,760 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 201.24 km² per grid cell | 3,547 km² per grid cell | 3,345 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 234.38 km² per grid cell | 4,193 km² per grid cell | 3,959 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 269.15 km² per grid cell | 4,967 km² per grid cell | 4,698 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 312.45 km² per grid cell | 5,805 km² per grid cell | 5,493 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 341.09 km² per grid cell | 6,459 km² per grid cell | 6,118 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 359.04 km² per grid cell | 7,139 km² per grid cell | 6,780 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 359.04 km² per grid cell | 7,809 km² per grid cell | 7,450 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 402.15 km² per grid cell | 8,823 km² per grid cell | 8,421 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 674.33 km² per grid cell | 9,288 km² per grid cell | 8,614 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 1,062 km² per grid cell | 10,229 km² per grid cell | 9,167 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 1,796 km² per grid cell | 11,246 km² per grid cell | 9,450 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 3,011 km² per grid cell | 11,669 km² per grid cell | 8,658 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 4,835 km² per grid cell | 12,278 km² per grid cell | 7,443 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 7,525 km² per grid cell | 13,156 km² per grid cell | 5,630 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 10,243 km² per grid cell | 13,915 km² per grid cell | 3,672 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Nigeria or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 14,143 km² per grid cell against 11,202 km² per grid cell in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Nigeria and United Kingdom?
- 2,941 km² per grid cell, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and United Kingdom?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and United Kingdom rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Nigeria ranks 14th and United Kingdom ranks 11th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.