17 states in Nigeria recorded above 0.50 points in the 2025 State of Entrepreneurship (SoE) Index ranking

  • Only 17 of 37 states and the FCT recorded above-midpoint entrepreneurship scores in 2025.
  • Kogi State leads nationally, outperforming all others on the SoE Index.
  • Strong entrepreneurship performance is not limited to Lagos or major commercial centres.
  • Several northern and middle-belt states rank high.
  • Urban and resource-rich states do not automatically guarantee strong entrepreneurial outcomes.
  • Local governance and operating conditions appear more influential than state size or wealth.

Only 17 states recorded above 0.50 (midpoint) on the State of Entrepreneurship (SoE) Index, highlighting a clear split between states with relatively enabling business environments and those still lagging behind. Kogi leads the rankings with a score of 0.65, followed by Kwara and Bauchi, signalling that strong entrepreneurial outcomes are not limited to Nigeria’s traditional economic hubs.

Alongside Lagos (0.59), several northern and middle-belt states, like Jigawa, Niger, Taraba, and Adamawa, rank above the midpoint. This suggests that entrepreneurship momentum is increasingly shaped by state-level policies, local market dynamics, and informal enterprise ecosystems, rather than just population size or commercial reputation.

Source:

The FATE Institute (research, policy and advocacy arm of FATE Foundation

Period:

2025
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