After three years of decline, China-Nigeria export trade hit a new peak of $24.9bn in 2025

Key Takeaways

  • Export value more than doubled from $9.72 billion in 2016 to $24.91 billion in 2025.
  • Trade rose steadily between 2016 and 2019, then surged sharply in 2021.
  • Exports declined for three consecutive years (2022–2024) after the 2021 peak.
  • 2025 marks the highest export value in the ten-year period.

China’s exports to Nigeria have trended upward over the past decade, rising from under $10 billion in 2016 to nearly $25 billion in 2025. Growth was steady before accelerating strongly in 2021, when exports jumped above $22 billion, the first major surge in the period. After that spike, exports declined gradually between 2022 and 2024, then rebounded sharply in 2025 to the highest level in the series. Despite short-term fluctuations, the long-term trend reflects increasing trade value.

Source:

National Bureau of Statistics of China, China Global South Project

Period:

2016 - 2025
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