Nigeria’s trade balance from 2008 to 2023 showed exports outpacing imports with a 57.7% share

Key Takeaways

  • Nigeria maintained a positive trade balance, with exports accounting for 57.7% against imports at 42.3%.
  • Oil and gas remain the backbone of Nigeria’s export dominance, shaping the overall surplus.
  • The import share reflects the country’s reliance on foreign goods, particularly refined petroleum, machinery, and food products.
  • Sustaining export strength while reducing import dependency remains key to Nigeria’s long-term economic resilience.

Between 2008 and 2023, Nigeria’s trade structure leaned in favour of exports, which contributed 57.7% of total trade, compared to 42.3% from imports. This trend underscores the nation’s dependence on crude oil exports as a driver of foreign exchange, while also highlighting the persistent gap in domestic production that fuels high imports of manufactured goods and refined petroleum. Although the positive export balance reflects Nigeria’s advantage in resource endowment, it also exposes vulnerabilities tied to global oil price fluctuations and a narrow export base.

Source:

Intelpoint report: International Trade in Selected African Countries

Period:

2008 - 2023
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Non-oil company income tax and two other sources accounted for over 70% of Nigeria's tax revenue in 2024
  • Company Income Tax (Non-Oil) emerged as the largest contributor, accounting for over 30% of total tax revenue.
  • NCS-Import VAT followed closely, contributing 23.63%, emphasising the significance of import-related taxes to Nigeria's revenue.
  • Traditional oil-based taxes such as Petroleum Profit Tax/Hydrocarbon Tax and CIT (Oil & Gas) jointly contributed over 26%, showing that oil remains a vital but declining pillar.
  • Newer tax streams like the Electronic Money Transfer Levy and NASENI (National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure) funding have emerged, but still make up less than 2% of total revenue.
  • Minor tax categories like Capital Gains Tax, NITDEF (National Information Technology Development Fund), and NPTFL (Nigeria Police Trust Fund) had negligible impact, each contributing less than 0.5%
Apapa Port accounted for 71.6% of Nigeria’s total trade value in Q1 2025 and 86.12% of total exports
  • Apapa Port accounted for 71.6% of Nigeria’s total trade value in Q1 2025 and 82.12% of total exports
  • Apapa Port handled ₦25.79 trillion worth of goods in Q1 2025, representing 71.6% of total trade. It remains the country’s primary trade hub, far surpassing all other ports combined.
  •  Apapa alone facilitated ₦17.74 trillion or 86.1% of Nigeria’s total exports, showing a high dependency on a single location for outbound goods.
  • Tin Can Island is the only meaningful secondary hub With ₦3.44 trillion (9.5%) in total trade, ranking a distant second. It’s the only other port contributing more than ₦1 trillion each to imports and exports.
  • Lekki has limited export impact, despite handling ₦1.70 trillion in imports. Lekki contributed only ₦0.30 trillion (1.5%) in exports, indicating underutilization for outbound trade.
  • Murtala Muhammed International Airport processed just ₦647.91 billion (1.8%) of total trade, reinforcing that Nigeria’s international trade remains heavily maritime-focused.
Lagos State's year-end outstanding foreign debt peaked in 2017, before gradually easing to $1.17 billion as of 2024
  • From just $190 million in 2006, Lagos State's year-end external debt rose significantly to over $1.1 billion by 2024, a more than 500% increase over 19 years.
  • The highest year-end debt was recorded in 2017 at $1.47 billion, with a gradual decline afterwards, except for a brief rise again in 2022–2023.
  • By 2024, Lagos State's external debt dipped slightly to $1.17 billion, suggesting some debt service or currency gain effects.
  • If Lagos State paid off or borrowed funds in a given year, only the remaining unpaid amount by year-end is shown in the data.
Life insurance leads Nigeria’s insurance market with ₦276.8 billion in premiums
  • Life insurance dominates the market with ₦276.8 billion in gross premiums, more than any other sector.
  • Oil and Gas insurance follows as the second-largest segment, generating ₦188.7 billion in Q1.
  • Fire and Motor insurance sectors contributed ₦91.9 billion and ₦77.7 billion respectively, reflecting strong demand.
  • Aviation insurance recorded the least income at ₦16.6 billion, likely due to the limited scope of operations.
  • The top three segments (Life, Oil & Gas, and Fire) jointly account for over 75% of the total GPI in the quarter.
BUA Cement and Lafarge recorded over 100% profit growth in the first half of 2025
  • Dangote Cement reported the highest H1 2025 profit at ₦436.6 billion, up 50% from ₦291.7 billion in H1 2024.
  • BUA Cement’s profit more than doubled to ₦149.1 billion, a 164% rise from ₦56.5 billion in the same period last year.
  • BUA Cement had the fastest profit growth rate among the three major players, despite starting from a lower base.
  • Combined, the three firms posted over ₦720 billion in half-year profit, with Dangote alone accounting for over 60% of the total.
  • The sharp profit rises may reflect improved pricing, cost management, or benefits from forex gains after naira devaluation.
Number of road accidents by geopolitical zone in Nigeria (Cumulative, Q3 2020-Q3 2024)
  • The North Central zone accounts for the highest share of road accidents in Nigeria, contributing 34.55% of the national total.
  • Within the North Central zone, Abuja (FCT) recorded the most accidents, with a cumulative total of 8,133 cases.
  • The South West zone ranks second, responsible for 25.78% of all accidents nationwide, with Ogun State leading the zone at 6,418 accidents.
  • The South East zone has the lowest share, contributing just 5.38% of total accidents from Q2 2020 to Q2 2024.
  • Enugu State, the highest contributor within the South East, accounts for only 1.59% of the national total.
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