Over 26,000 Africans became Canadian citizens in H1 2025; one in four of these are Nigerians

Key Takeaways

Nigeria accounts for 25.9% of all new Canadian citizens of African origin, more than triple any other African country.
Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia rank next, each contributing over 5% of total new citizens of African origin.
Countries like Eritrea, Ethiopia, and DR Congo show steady growth, reflecting widening migration links with Canada.
South Africa closes the top ten with 832 citizens (3.2%), indicating smaller but consistent migration flows.

In the first half of 2025, Nigeria firmly led African migration to Canada, with 6,831 Nigerian-born individuals becoming Canadian citizens, the highest by a wide margin. North African nations, including Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, followed, individually accounting for more than 5% of all new citizens of African origin, driven by Canada’s growing appeal to French-speaking migrants.

The presence of countries such as Eritrea, Ethiopia, and DR Congo highlights how economic aspirations and humanitarian pathways continue to shape migration trends from East and Central Africa. Meanwhile, South Africa’s smaller share reflects more selective emigration patterns among its professionals.

Source:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

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Period:

H1 2025

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Related Insights

An average of 6,960 Nigerians became Canadian citizens each Half-Year between 2022 and 2025

Nigerian naturalisations in Canada rose from 5,286 in H1 2022 to 6,831 in H1 2025, a 29% increase overall.
H1 2023 marked the highest level with 7,400 new citizens.
Numbers declined through 2024, bottoming at 6,057 in H2.
The rebound in H1 2025 signals sustained interest in Canadian citizenship among Nigerians.

4.5% of new Canadian citizens in H1 2025 were Nigerians; almost one in four were Indians

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Four of the top five source countries (India, Philippines, Iran, China) are in Asia, showing the region’s migration strength.
Nigeria ranks third, contributing 4.5% of total new citizens, the highest share from Africa.
Traditional migration partners like the U.K. and U.S.A. contribute smaller shares, under 3% each, highlighting a shifting global migration pattern.

Egypt and Nigeria were Africa’s leading sources of international scholars in the US in 2023/24

Egypt remained the lead African country with the highest number of international scholars in the US, with 942 recorded in the 2023/2024 academic session.
As of the 2023/2024 academic session, 4,679 international scholars in the United States of America are from Africa.
A total of 931 international scholars in the US as of the same session are from Nigeria.
Africa produced 4.2% of the international scholars in the US for the session under review.

Africa saw its highest net migration gain of 328K people in 1985, followed by net migration losses except in 2020

Africa’s largest net migration gain was in 1985, with +328K people.
The continent faced its steepest loss in 2010, with -998K.
2020 was a standout year in recent decades with +248K net gain.
The 2024 net migration figure of -644K is the third-largest loss since 1955.
Despite a partial recovery in 2025 to -378K, losses still outweigh gains.

Immigrants make up nearly 1 in 5 people in Gabon, leading African countries with highest migrant populations

Gabon leads with 18.7% of its population being immigrants, the highest in Africa.
Equatorial Guinea follows with 16.4%, also driven by oil-related labor demand.
Djibouti (12.1%) and Libya (12.0%) round out the top four with migrant shares over 10%.
South Africa has the highest immigrant population in Southern Africa at 4.8%.
Most African nations still record under 5% immigrant share, indicating modest migration levels continent-wide.

UAE’s population is 88% immigrants as Gabon tops African list with 19% migrant share

The United Arab Emirates tops the list with immigrants making up 88% of its total population.
Qatar follows closely with 87% of its residents being immigrants.
Kuwait (73%) and Bahrain (55%) also feature prominently, showing a regional trend where nationals are a minority and foreign workers form the economic backbone
Middle Eastern dominance in the top rankings highlights how the Gulf region’s economic model is heavily dependent on imported labor and expatriate populations.