Ethiopia vs Nigeria: Rural population
Ethiopia
102.81 million
in 2025
Nigeria
86.04 million
in 2025
Ethiopia rank
6th
Nigeria rank
7th
Rural population over time
- Ethiopia
- Nigeria
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 102.81 million against 86.04 million in Nigeria, a difference of 16.77 million.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.2 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Nigeria ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 6th and Nigeria ranks 7th of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 1 and Nigeria in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.20 million | 41.25 million | 19.05 million | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 28.30 million | 48.19 million | 19.88 million | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 35.10 million | 57.86 million | 22.76 million | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 48.73 million | 66.95 million | 18.22 million | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 65.07 million | 75.63 million | 10.55 million | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 82.85 million | 83.76 million | 906,870 | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 97.98 million | 86.14 million | 11.84 million | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Ethiopia or Nigeria?
- Ethiopia, at 102.81 million against 86.04 million in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 16.77 million, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Nigeria?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Ethiopia and Nigeria rank globally for rural population?
- Ethiopia ranks 6th and Nigeria ranks 7th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.