Monthly internet data consumption in Nigeria (2024)

Key takeaways:  

  • Nigeria’s internet data usage increased from 721,522 TB in January to 973,455.35 TB in December, reflecting a 35% growth over the year.
  • The peak in consumption occurred in December 2024, while January 2024 recorded the lowest usage.
  • Despite a consistent upward trend during the year, a decline in internet usage was observed in February (694,804.54 TB) and September (850,249.09 TB).
  • The most significant jump in Nigeria's internet consumption was observed between November and December, with an increase of approximately 95,000 TB.
  • Throughout 2024, Nigeria experienced an average monthly increase of about 23,000 TB.
  • Nigeria's total internet data consumption reached 9.76 million terabytes (TB) in 2024, representing a 34% increase compared to 2023.

Throughout 2024, Nigeria's internet data usage exhibited a notable increase, starting at 721,522 terabytes (TB) in January and reaching 973,455.35 TB by December. This indicates a growth rate of 35% from January to December. Despite a general upward trend for most of the year, there was a decline in February, reaching 694,804.54 TB, which was the lowest figure for the year, along with a minor decrease in September to 850,249.09 TB.

 

The latter half of 2024 indicated that the country’s monthly usage consistently exceeded 800,000 TB, contrasting with the first half of the year. The most pronounced increase happened between November and December 2024, when consumption rose by nearly 95,000 TB, hitting an all-time high of 973,455.35 TB. This remarkable increase indicated a significant upturn in digital activities as the year drew to a close.

Source:

Nigerian Communications Commission

Period:

2024
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Despite a Steady Decline, Over 40% of Nigeria’s Mobile Users Still Rely on 2G
  • 2G is still widely used but has dropped significantly from 57.78% in January to 41.59% in December.
  • 4G has become the dominant mobile network in Nigeria, surpassing 2G by mid-2024 and maintaining a steady increase in market share.
  • 3G remains stable, averaging around 9% market share,
  • 5G adoption is slow but rising, increasing from 1.11% in January to 2.46% in December.
Instant messaging is the most pervasive activity among mobile internet users
  • Instant messaging leads with 94% usage, reflecting its role as the primary communication tool for Nigerians.
  • Social media is used by 91% of mobile internet users, but only 65% engage with it for business purposes, showing its dominance in personal interactions.
  • Online voice and video calls are highly popular, emphasising a shift toward real-time digital communication.
  • Only 45% access government services, while 41% use online health platforms, indicating gaps in essential digital services.
  • Agriculture-related internet use is the lowest at 25%, highlighting the rural digital divide and limited online resources for the sector.
9mobile has lost its appeal as the porting destination for Nigerian customers
  • Number porting in Nigeria has dropped significantly, with only 55k customers switching networks in 2024, continuing a multi-year decline.
  • MTN gained the most new customers in 2024, outperforming other networks in porting gains.
  • 9mobile, once the dominant choice for ported customers, has lost its appeal, with far fewer subscribers switching to the network in recent years.
  • Overall porting activity has slowed, suggesting improved customer retention or fewer incentives to switch providers.
80% of smartphones across the world are 4G enabled
  • 4G smartphones are the most popular globally.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa has the smallest 4G smartphone adoption, with a 33% market share in the region.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest 5G market share of any region.
  • 5G smartphones are dominant in North America, the highest of any region.
  • Smartphone market share is reflective of income levels across regions.
MTN has moved from the most impacted by porting to being the least affected
  • 9mobile lost the most customers to porting in 2024, with 44.7k subscribers switching to other networks.
  • MTN, once the most affected by porting, now has the lowest losses at just 2.7k customers in 2024.
  • Airtel and Globacom had minimal losses in 2024, with 4.2k and 3.8k customers leaving respectively.
  • MTN previously saw massive porting losses, peaking at 125.5k in 2015, but has since improved drastically.
  • Porting losses have declined across all networks over time, except for 9mobile, which has seen a recent spike.
4G grows by 15% to overtake 2G as Nigeria’s leading mobile generation
  • The share of 2G has fallen from 60% to 42% in one year.
  • 4G has seen the largest increase among all mobile generations, making it the market leader.
  • 3G has shrunk by 0.5% points while 5G grew by 1.4% over the same period.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved