01Free
The 30-second card
SIM and eSIM
Mobile signal is often missing in rural and desert areas, where infrastructure is minimal.Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Money in Niger
West African CFA Franc · XOF
Shops do not take dollars or euros, so change foreign cash into CFA francs at a bank first.
Look for Ecobank cash machines, which work with Visa and Mastercard.
Settle on an opening offer and a top price before starting to bargain.
Skip the airport taxi monopoly: walk south to the main road for a CFA 100-150 shared van to the Grand Marché.
Collect West African CFA Franc in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpenPublic holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 18 Dec 2026 · Nigerien Republic Day
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day
Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)
Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday
Sat, 24 Apr 2027 · Concord Day
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day
Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)
Tue, 3 Aug 2027 · Nigerien Independence Day
02Free
Safety today
Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Niger say, side by side, checked daily.
German Foreign Office says
Travel warning
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Do not travel
Calm
Caution
Serious
Don’t go ●
Level 4 of 4
Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 8 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 8 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
UK Foreign Office says
Advises against all travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Updated 23 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Scams to know
Online romance, business and job scams
Be wary of online contacts offering love, friendship, deals or jobs; never send money.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.
03Free
Health
Malaria risk. Yellow fever jab needed from 9 months; hep A/B, typhoid, polio, meningitis, usual jabs advised.
Vaccinations
Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for arrivals from 9 months old; hepatitis A and B, typhoid, a polio booster, meningococcal vaccine for the dry season and routine shots are recommended.
Malaria
RiskTalk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page
Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.
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Deep facts
| GDP | ≈ $21.6 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Per person | ≈ $775Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Top exports | gold, oil seeds, uranium and thorium ore, radioactive chemicals, refined petroleum (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Population | 27.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 15.3 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Life expectancy | 60.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Religions | Muslim 95.5%, ethnic religionist 4.1%, Christian 0.3%, agnostics and other 0.1% (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Area | 1,267,000 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Climate | desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme southSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Terrain | predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in northSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
| Type of government | formerly, semi-presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗ |
|---|---|
| Calling code | +227Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ |
About the data
Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.
From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.
CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 25 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).
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