Which has higher surface area, Nigeria or Tanzania?

Tanzania, at 947,300 sq. km against 923,770 sq. km in Nigeria as of 2023.

What is the difference in surface area between Nigeria and Tanzania?

23,530 sq. km, with Tanzania ahead.

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

63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.

Where does this data come from?

FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Nigeria vs Tanzania: Surface area

Nigeria

923,770 sq. km

in 2023

Tanzania

947,300 sq. km

in 2023

Nigeria rank

31st

Tanzania rank

30th

Surface area over time

Nigeria
Tanzania

How they compare

Tanzania currently reports 947,300 sq. km against 923,770 sq. km in Nigeria, a difference of 23,530 sq. km.

Across all 63 years both countries report, Tanzania has been ahead every year.

Nigeria ranks 31st and Tanzania ranks 30th of 215 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Nigeria	Tanzania	Difference	Ahead
1960s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania
1970s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania
1980s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania
1990s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania
2000s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania
2010s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania
2020s	923,770 sq. km	947,300 sq. km	23,530 sq. km	Tanzania

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher surface area, Nigeria or Tanzania?: Tanzania, at 947,300 sq. km against 923,770 sq. km in Nigeria as of 2023.
What is the difference in surface area between Nigeria and Tanzania?: 23,530 sq. km, with Tanzania ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Tanzania?: 63 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2023.
How do Nigeria and Tanzania rank globally for surface area?: Nigeria ranks 31st and Tanzania ranks 30th of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Surface area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 263 places, 16,395 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.