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Over 60% of Nigerians use crypto for savings and long-term investing
  • Wealth-building dominates motivation: 45.4% cite “active wealth building” as their primary motive, and an additional 21.8% cite “long-term financial security”.
  • 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.

60% of Nigeria's ₦152.4 trillion public debt is owed to domestic lenders
  • Total public debt hits ₦152.4 trillion, marking another milestone in Nigeria’s expanding debt profile.
  • Domestic debt leads at ₦80.5 trillion, making up about 53% of total obligations.
  • External debt stands at ₦71.8 trillion, equivalent to roughly 47%, reflecting Nigeria’s ongoing exposure to foreign lenders.
  • The data signals growing fiscal dependence on local markets, as authorities seek to limit exchange rate risks while still financing deficits.

Lagos’s domestic debt is 7.5% (₦72.6 billion) higher than the South South’s
  • The South-West recorded the highest domestic debt stock of approximately ₦1.43 trillion, largely powered by Lagos State’s ₦1.04 trillion debt.
  • The South-South ranks second with ₦968 billion, led by Rivers State’s ₦364.4 billion, reflecting major infrastructure and fiscal commitments.
  • The North-Central (₦520 billion) and North-East (₦450 billion) show moderate borrowing compared to their southern counterparts.
  • The North-West records the smallest combined debt stock at ₦223 billion, indicating a relatively conservative borrowing posture.

Enugu - South-East’s top domestic debtor - owes more than Imo, Abia, and Anambra combined
  • Enugu State holds the highest domestic debt in the South-East at ₦180.5 billion.
  • Imo ranks second with ₦97.9 billion, about 54% lower than Enugu’s figure.
  • At ₦15.8 billion, Ebonyi remains the least indebted in the region, maintaining a conservative borrowing stance.
  • Combined, the five South-East states (Enugu, Imo, Abia, Anambra, and Ebonyi) owe roughly ₦371 billion domestically as of Q2 2025.

Rivers State's domestic debt is 3.5% (₦12.4b) more than the combined debt of Delta and Cross River
  • Bayelsa holds the lowest debt with ₦65.9 billion.
  • Rivers’ ₦364.4 billion domestic debt is almost six times Bayelsa’s total, highlighting major fiscal disparities.
  • Delta (₦204.7 billion) and Cross River (₦147.3 billion) remain among the region’s more indebted states
  • Regional debt approaches ₦1 trillion: The six South-South states collectively hold an estimated ₦968 billion in domestic debt as of Q2 2025.

Kogi and Nasarawa post lowest domestic debt in North Central Nigeria at ₦18.8 billion and ₦23.9 billion, respectively
  • The six North Central states collectively hold ₦449.4 billion in domestic debt as of Q2 2025, according to DMO data.
  • Kogi and Nasarawa lead in fiscal control with ₦18.8 billion and ₦23.9 billion, respectively
  • Both states record the lowest debt profiles in the region. Niger State’s ₦141.5 billion debt makes it the region’s most indebted, accounting for nearly one-third of the total.
  • The debt gap between Kogi (lowest) and Niger (highest) stands at over ₦123 billion, highlighting stark differences in fiscal management and borrowing capacity across the zone.

Lagos accounts for over 70% of South-West Nigeria’s domestic debt, hitting ₦1.04 trillion in mid-2025
  • Lagos dominates regional debt with a domestic debt stock of ₦1.04 trillion, over 70% of the South-West’s total subnational debt.
  • Lagos’s debt is six times larger than that of Ogun (₦162.9 billion), the region’s next most indebted state.
  • At ₦10.6 billion, Ondo maintains the lowest domestic debt profile in the region, reflecting relatively modest borrowing.
  • The combined domestic debt of the six South-West states (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo) stood at ₦1.43 trillion as of Q2 2025.

Nigeria’s public debt rises to $99.7 billion (₦152.4 trillion) as of June 2025
  • Nigeria’s public debt rose to $99.7 billion, up from $91.3 billion in June 2024, marking a return to growth after a dollar-value decline in 2024.
  • The debt in local currency climbed to ₦152.4 trillion, reflecting both borrowing and continued naira depreciation.
  • The increase underscores ongoing domestic financing challenges and vulnerability to exchange-rate fluctuations.
  • The growth in dollar terms points to renewed external borrowing as the government manages debt obligations post-2024 volatility.

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