Number of road accidents by geopolitical zone in Nigeria (Cumulative, Q3 2020-Q3 2024)

Key Takeaways

  • The North Central zone accounts for the highest share of road accidents in Nigeria, contributing 34.55% of the national total.
  • Within the North Central zone, Abuja (FCT) recorded the most accidents, with a cumulative total of 8,133 cases.
  • The South West zone ranks second, responsible for 25.78% of all accidents nationwide, with Ogun State leading the zone at 6,418 accidents.
  • The South East zone has the lowest share, contributing just 5.38% of total accidents from Q2 2020 to Q2 2024.
  • Enugu State, the highest contributor within the South East, accounts for only 1.59% of the national total.

Between Q2 2020 and Q2 2024, Nigeria’s North Central zone emerged as the region with the highest number of road accidents, accounting for a significant 34.55% of all recorded incidents nationwide. Within this zone, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, stood out as the most accident-prone area, contributing 12.42% to the national total and a striking 35.9% of all accidents in the North Central zone alone. This highlights the heavy traffic volume and rapid urbanisation challenges faced by the capital city.

In stark contrast, the South East zone recorded the lowest proportion of road accidents during the same period, contributing just 5.38% to the national total. Even the zone’s top contributor, Enugu State, accounted for only 1.59% of all accidents in the country, despite making up 22.8% of the South East’s accident figures.

Source:

NBS

Period:

Q3 2020-Q3 2024
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Nigeria’s foreign trade
  • Total Trade Volume in Q1 2025 stood at ₦36.02 trillion, with exports totalling ₦20.6 trillion and imports at ₦15.4 trillion, resulting in a surplus of ₦5.17 trillion.
  • Crude oil dominates Nigeria’s export trade, accounting for the largest share of export revenue. -
  • Other petroleum oil products are also a major export item, reflecting the significance of both raw and refined oil-based commodities in Nigeria’s trade portfolio. -
  • On the import side, manufactured goods dominate, showing Nigeria’s continued reliance on foreign machinery, technology, and consumer goods.
  • While Nigeria exports mostly raw and oil-based products, it imports refined, processed, or industrial goods, indicating a structural trade gap and limited local industrial capacity. -
  • Agricultural and raw material goods feature on both sides of trade, but their value is significantly less than petroleum-related trade.
Nigeria's foreign trade
  • India is Nigeria’s largest export destination Nigeria exported ₦2.84 trillion worth of goods to India in Q1 2025, driven largely by crude oil.
  • China dominates imports into Nigeria China supplied ₦4.66 trillion worth of goods, far outpacing all other countries. Likely dominated by electronics, machinery, and manufactured goods.
  • The United States appears on both sides. Nigeria exports ₦1.54 trillion to the US and imports ₦1.42 trillion, showing a relatively balanced trade relationship.
  • European countries are major export Partners Netherlands (₦2.30T), France (₦1.44T), and Spain (₦1.44T) are prominent export destinations, indicating strong demand for Nigerian crude oil and other commodities in Europe.
  • UAE barely makes the import list. The UAE closes out the top import list at ₦0.61 trillion, showing relatively lower trade volume compared to others, but still significant enough to be in the top 5.
South Africa runs Africa’s longest rail network at 20,986km, while Nigeria trails 9th with 3,798km
  • South Africa leads the continent with a vast 20,986km rail network, nearly triple the size of Sudan’s, the second-largest.
  • Nigeria’s rail infrastructure measures 3,798km, ranking it behind Kenya (3,819km) and DR Congo (4,007km).
  • North African countries like Egypt and Algeria maintain significant rail mileage, exceeding 4,000km each.
  • Southern Africa dominates the top five, with Mozambique and Zimbabwe also featuring prominently.
Cars lead in road traffic crashes, while luxury bus accidents surge by 466.7% over four years
  • Cars were involved in the highest number of road accidents, recording 665 cases over the four-year period.
  • Luxury buses and bicycles recorded the highest quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) growth in accident involvement.
  • Tankers, cars, and motorcycles saw the sharpest QoQ declines, with accident rates falling by 47.2%, 30.6%, and 24.7% respectively.
42% of Nigeria’s applications have been rejected over the past 15 years amidst surging demand for Schengen visas
  • Nigerians submitted 1.1 million Schengen visa applications between 2009 and 2024.
  • The highest rejection rates occurred in 2017 (53%) and 2019 (51%).
  • A total of 491,844 applications were rejected, a cumulative denial rate of 42.1%.
  • Despite post-pandemic recovery, 2024 recorded the highest applications (111k), with a 45% rejection rate.
  • The year 2010 stands out as the period with the least number of Schengen visa applications submitted by the Nigerian consulate.
Nearly 30% of road accidents recorded in Nigeria between Q3 2020 and Q3 2024 occurred in FCT, Ogun, and Nasarawa

  • FCT, Ogun, and Nasarawa consistently rank as the top three states with the highest number of road accidents.

  • The FCT recorded its peak accident figures in 2022, particularly in Q2 (842 cases) and Q4 (864 cases).

  • In Q2 and Q3 of 2024, Ogun State surpassed the FCT in the number of reported accidents.

  • Across these three states, there has been a notable decline in accident numbers, with an average decrease of approximately 37.6% between Q2 and Q3 2024.

POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved