Distance from Johannesburg to Lagos

The great-circle distance between Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria is 4,501 km (2,797 mi · 2,430 nmi) — the shortest possible route over the Earth's surface, the path aircraft approximately follow.

The numbers
Great-circle distance
4,501 km · 2,797 mi · 2,430 nmi
Initial bearing Johannesburg → Lagos
320° (NW)
Initial bearing Lagos → Johannesburg
145° (SE)
Nonstop flight (rough estimate)
≈ 5 h 57 min
Time zones
Johannesburg UTC+02:00 · Lagos UTC+01:00 (-1 h)
Sunrise gap today
99 min — the sun rises earlier in Johannesburg

Flight time is a cruise-speed approximation (no routing/wind); driving distance depends on roads and is typically 20–40% longer than great-circle.

The two cities
Johannesburg
-26.2023, 28.0436
Sunrise / sunset today
03:57 UTC / 16:05 UTC
Lagos
6.4541, 3.3947
Sunrise / sunset today
05:36 UTC / 17:43 UTC

Open in the distance calculator Find the halfway point

Distances here are straight-line (great-circle). Road routes typically run 1.2–1.4× longer — here's why, with the visual.