Which is bigger, Nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile?

Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

How do Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles compare on length?

Nile crocodile: 2.4–6 m. Saltwater crocodile: 2.5–6.3 m. Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on length — about 1.1×.

How do Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles compare on typical lifespan?

Nile crocodile: 45–80 yr. Saltwater crocodile: 65–100 yr. Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on typical lifespan — about 1.4×.

Nile crocodile vs Saltwater crocodile

Nile crocodile vs saltwater crocodile

Saltwater crocodile is larger on weight

Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×.

A Nile crocodile and a saltwater crocodile can be compared on 3 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

Side by side

Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.
	Nile crocodile	Saltwater crocodile
Weight	225–750 kg	76–1,300 kg
Length	2.4–6 m	2.5–6.3 m
Typical lifespan	45–80 yr	65–100 yr

What the numbers say

Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×.
Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on length — about 1.1×.
Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on typical lifespan — about 1.4×.

Weight compared.

Saltwater crocodile 76–1,300 kg

Nile crocodile 225–750 kg

Nile crocodile

Africa's largest crocodilian and, by most counts, the animal responsible for the most human deaths on the continent.

Saltwater crocodile

The largest living reptile and the animal with the hardest bite ever measured.

This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

Common questions

Which is bigger, Nile crocodile or saltwater crocodile?: Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on weight — about 1.4×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.
How do Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles compare on length?: Nile crocodile: 2.4–6 m. Saltwater crocodile: 2.5–6.3 m. Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on length — about 1.1×.
How do Nile crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles compare on typical lifespan?: Nile crocodile: 45–80 yr. Saltwater crocodile: 65–100 yr. Saltwater crocodile is somewhat greater than Nile crocodile on typical lifespan — about 1.4×.

Sources

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution

How these figures are compiled and checked