As of 2025, MTN and Airtel jointly control over 85% of the market share, whereas Globacom controls 12%, and 9mobile has control over less than 2% of the market

Key takeaways:

MTN maintained the highest market share, growing from 41% in December 2015 to 52% by April 2025.
Airtel grew significantly, expanding from 22% in December 2015 to 34% by Apr 2025.
9mobile experienced a steep decline, falling from 15% to 2% over the same period.
Globacom maintained stability until 2023, then saw a dramatic fall from 27% to 12% by December 2024.
The total market grew from 148.7 million in 2015 to 172.7 million subscribers in 2025 (16% growth).
9mobile's market share declined from 22.2 million subscribers (15%) to just 3.0 million (2%) in 2025.
Globacom lost 41.5 million subscribers between 2023 and 2024.
Airtel's market share expanded from 22% to 34%.

Over the last decade, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector has undergone significant market changes, with MTN solidifying its position as the undisputed leader. As of April 2025, MTN commands 52% of all active telephony subscribers, a significant rise from 41% in 2015. Its subscriber base grew from 61.3 million to over 90.5 million, indicating good customer retention and network expansion.

Airtel’s market share increased from 22% to 34%, bringing its subscriber base to approximately 58.6 million by April 2025. This upward trend highlights Airtel's growth in the sector, especially in recent years.

Globacom, whose market share had been constant at 26-28% for many years, has seen its grip on the market weaken sharply. By April 2025, its share had dropped to 12%, with subscriber numbers at roughly 20.6 million. On the more drastic side, from a 15% share in 2015, 9mobile's market share dropped to just 2% in 2025, with active users falling from more than 22 million to around 3 million.

Source:

Nigerian Communications Commission

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://intelpoint.co/insights/as-of-2025-mtn-and-airtel-jointly-control-over-85-of-the-market-share-whereas-globacom-controls-12-and-9mobile-has-control-over-less-than-2-of-the-market/" title="As of 2025, MTN and Airtel jointly control over 85% of the market share, whereas Globacom controls 12%, and 9mobile has control over less than 2% of the market"><img src="https://intelpoint.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Market-share-of-active-subscribers-by-service-provider-in-Nigeria-2015–2025.webp" style="width: 80%; height: auto; max-width:960px;-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; margin: 0 auto; display: block;" alt="Chart: As of 2025, MTN and Airtel jointly control over 85% of the market share, whereas Globacom controls 12%, and 9mobile has control over less than 2% of the market"/></a><br><span>Find more insights at <a href="https://intelpoint.co/insights?utm_source=Insight%20Embed&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=As+of+2025%2C+MTN+and+Airtel+jointly+control+over+85%25+of+the+market+share%2C+whereas+Globacom+controls+12%25%2C+and+9mobile+has+control+over+less+than+2%25+of+the+market" target="_blank" style="color: #4f9acc; text-decoration: none;">Intelpoint</a>.</span></div>Copied to clipboard!

Period:

2015-2025

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Key Takeaways:

MTN remains the market leader, growing from an average of 26 million subscribers in 2013 to an average of 75 million by early 2025.
The average active data subscribers for MTN was over 75 million in early 2025.
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Key Takeaways:

In June 2022, 9mobile recorded a peak of 324 port-ins.
The lowest port-in figure during the period was recorded in February 2025, with only one subscriber.
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Monthly port-in numbers have been progressively dropping, from a three-digit to a single-digit level by 2025.
A slight recovery was observed in May 2024 (226), but it was not sustained.
By early 2025, port-ins dropped to as low as 1-3 per month.
This trend is consistent with a sharp decline in its subscriber base.
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