Over 60% of surveyed Nigerian crypto traders earn less than $50 per month, with $10–$50 the most common profit range (36%)

Key Takeaways

  • About 60% of users make less than $50 per month, showing crypto activity is mostly at a small, retail scale.
  • The $10–$50 band (36%) is the single largest group, reflecting frequent, low-value trading or incremental investment returns.
  • Only about 30% of users earn between $50 and $500, suggesting that consistent moderate returns are less common.
  • Less than 3% of users earn above $1,000 per month, confirming that the Nigerian crypto market remains largely retail-driven rather than dominated by professional or institutional traders.

The Nigerian crypto market is overwhelmingly a retail-level environment, where most users earn small but steady monthly profits. According to the Quidax 2025 report, the majority of users make under $50 per month, highlighting that crypto participation is primarily about gradual wealth-building, experimentation, and financial inclusion, rather than high-stakes speculation. Only a tiny fraction of users generate substantial monthly returns, showing that while opportunities for significant gains exist, they remain inaccessible to most retail participants. This trend underscores the grassroots nature of Nigeria’s crypto ecosystem, where digital assets serve as an entry point for financial literacy and incremental earnings.

Source:

Quidax Report - The State of Crypto Adoption in Nigeria

Period:

2025
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About 44% of Nigerian crypto users mostly send crypto, primarily for investments and payments
  • 56.1% of users mostly send crypto, compared to 43.9% who mostly receive it, showing an active transaction culture.
  • Investing in other platforms or projects leads as the top reason for sending crypto (29.2%), indicating strong speculative and wealth-building motives.
  • Every 1 in 4 users (25.1%) use crypto for daily transactions like bills and subscriptions, showing rising integration into everyday finance.
  • Cross-border payments (7.7%) and donations (4.6%) remain small but notable niches, signaling growing utility beyond trading.
Over 60% of Nigerians use crypto for savings and long-term investing
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  • Payments and utility are minor drivers: Only 3.3% report “daily utility” and 2.2% “digital commerce” as their chief motive for using crypto.
  • Hedging and cross-border flows matter: 8.7% use crypto for currency hedging, and 4.1% for cross-border payments, showing a dual role of investment plus international value flows.
  • Nigerian retail users treat crypto like a conventional financial instrument rather than only as a means of payment or speculation.
Over 65% of surveyed Nigerian crypto users transact below ₦50,000; less than 3% move above ₦1 million
  • Nearly two-thirds (67%) of all crypto transactions in Nigeria are below ₦50,000, reflecting widespread use among everyday retail users.
  • The ₦15,000–₦25,000 band (28.2%) is the single largest group, showing consistent, small-scale engagement rather than high-value speculation.
  • Around 25% of users transact between ₦50,000 and ₦250,000, suggesting a growing middle class of more confident, mid-level investors.
  • Less than 3% of users transact above ₦1 million, confirming that Nigeria’s crypto market remains primarily retail-driven, not institutional or high-net-worth.
67.2% of active crypto users use cryptocurrency primarily for investment
  • A majority (67.2%) of Nigerian crypto users (17.7 million people) use digital assets mainly for investment and long-term financial growth.
  • Overall, 26.34 million Nigerians—over one in eight adults—actively use or hold cryptocurrency, giving the country the highest adoption rate globally.
  • About 18.4% (4.8 million) use crypto for everyday needs such as remittances, payments, and inflation protection.
  • 14.4% (3.8 million) identify as active traders, providing liquidity and earning income through market participation.
From $6B in 2016, Bitcoin's market capitalisation witnessed exponential growth (337 times), achieving over $2.0T in Jan 2025
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  • In 2021, Bitcoin’s market value peaked at $1.1T before reaching $1.2T in 2022.
  • Bitcoin experienced a sharp drop to around $525B in 2023.
  • Its recovery was strong in 2024, with the market cap rising again to $1.4T.
  • Despite periodic dips, the long-term chart shows a consistent upward growth trend.
Men dominate crypto ownership, making up 61% of global users (342.8M people), while women account for 39% (219.2M people)
  • Men hold the majority share in crypto adoption (61%), indicating that the industry is still male-dominated despite growing female participation.
  • Over 219M women own crypto globally, showing that female adoption is increasing but still lags behind male ownership.
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