Nigeria recorded one of the lowest ARPUs among MTN Group’s markets

  • Two of the top five markets by ARPU are in its Southern African region.
  • Two of the top three markets by ARPU are units that are operating as joint ventures
  • Nine markets are less than the group's ARPU
  • Benin recorded the highest ARPU across its West African markets

In Q3 2024, Eswatini recorded the highest average revenue per user among MTN Group's markets. Interestingly, Eswatini is also the market with the smallest subscriber base as of Q3 2024. The top three markets by ARPU each have less than four million subscribers. Despite having the highest subscriber base, Nigeria recorded $2.09 in ARPU, down from $5.03 in Q1 2023.

Source:

MTN Group

Period:

Q3 2024
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