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  • Top African countries by number of citizens studying in the US in 2020
    • Nigeria remained the top African country for students in the U.S., with 20,029 students enrolled in the 2023/2024 academic year, marking a 13.5% increase from the previous year.
    • Ghana saw the highest growth rate among African nations, with a 45% increase in students, totaling 9,394 in the U.S. during the 2023/2024 academic year.
    • These countries collectively contributed significantly, with 4,507 (Kenya), 3,078 (Ethiopia), and 2,814 (South Africa) students studying in the U.S. during 2023/2024.
    • Sub-Saharan Africa was the fastest-growing region for international student mobility to the U.S., experiencing a 13% overall increase in the 2023/2024 academic year.
    • In the 2020/2021 academic year, Nigeria had 12,900 students, Ghana had 4,200, and Kenya had 3,500 students enrolled in U.S. institutions.
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    top-15-african-countries-by-number-of-medical-doctors-per-10000-people-as-of-2022

    As of 2022, only seven African countries met the WHO's recommended doctor-to-population ratio of 10 doctors per 10,000 people.

    Cape Verde, Seychelles, Libya, Eswatini, Tunisia, Mauritius, and Algeria are leading the way in healthcare accessibility in Africa. However, the continent still averages only 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people.

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  • A Trend of Adult literacy rates of African countries

    Between 2018 and 2021, adult literacy rates across African nations exhibited significant disparities. Seychelles and South Africa led with literacy rates of 96% and 95%, respectively, indicating a high proportion of literate adults. Conversely, Chad had the lowest literacy rate during this period.

    These statistics underscore the uneven progress in educational attainment across Africa, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve literacy in lower-performing nations.

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    Inflation rate in Nigeria increased to 31.7% in February 2024. Nigeria has the 13th highest inflation rate out of 186 countries and territories as of February 2024.

    The data showcases Argentina leading with 276%, followed by Lebanon and Syria. Seven of the top fifteen are African.

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  • Nigeria was the seventh most populous nation in the world in 2020, with 206.1 million people. Projected to reach a population of 401.3 million by 2050, Nigeria will rank third after India (1st) and China (2nd). According to Institut national d'études démographiques' projections, Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Egypt, Tanzania, and Kenya will be among the world’s top 20 most populous countries by 2050.

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    Top ten African countries by estimated number of films produced annually

    The Nigerian movie industry, mainly financed via public or private funding and international grants, produces the most films in Africa, yearly. Nigeria produced more than double the number of films that the Ghanaian and Kenyan movie industries produce annually.

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  • The African countries with the highest life expectancies as of 2023 are: Algeria - 77 years, Tunisia - 77 years, Cape Verde - 77 years, Mauritius - 76 years.

    The African countries with the lowest life expectancies: Central African Republic - 55 years, Lesotho - 55 years, Nigeria - 54 years, Chad - 54 years.

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  • Only 10% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000, according to the Nigerian Financial Services Market Report. This aligns with most reports about Nigeria, and it's in sharp contrast to the narratives online.
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  • A Trend of Adult literacy rates of African countries

    Between 2018 and 2021, adult literacy rates across African nations exhibited significant disparities. Seychelles and South Africa led with literacy rates of 96% and 95%, respectively, indicating a high proportion of literate adults. Conversely, Chad had the lowest literacy rate during this period.

    These statistics underscore the uneven progress in educational attainment across Africa, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve literacy in lower-performing nations.

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Other Insights
  1. The United Arab Emirates tops the list with immigrants making up 88% of its total population.
  2. Qatar follows closely with 87% of its residents being immigrants.
  3. Kuwait (73%) and Bahrain (55%) also feature prominently, showing a regional trend where nationals are a minority and foreign workers form the economic backbone
  4. Middle Eastern dominance in the top rankings highlights how the Gulf region’s economic model is heavily dependent on imported labor and expatriate populations.
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  • Nigeria leads Africa in pay TV subscribers, with 9.69 million, followed closely by South Africa, which has 9.28 million.
  • Together, both countries account for nearly 40% of the continent’s total pay TV subscribers.
  • Kenya holds third place with 2.89 million subscribers.
  • Central African Congo (2.04M) and East African Uganda (1.77M) are becoming key pay TV growth zones.
  • Tanzania’s 2.27 million subscribers underscore the country's growing media consumption, particularly in urban centres.
  • Côte d’Ivoire and Angola, with 1.38 million and 1.06 million, respectively, demonstrate growing demand even in relatively smaller economies.
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  • DStv is expected to remain the market leader by 2028, with a 28.26% share, despite a decline from 36.27% in 2019.
  • StarTimes’ share is projected to remain relatively stable, around 24.9% by 2028, underscoring consistent consumer demand.
  • Canal Plus is growing, increasing from 16.2% in 2019 to 19.76% by 2028, showing its expanding influence in Africa.
  • Smaller players, such as StarSat and Easy TV, will continue to hold marginal but stable positions across the continent.
  • The overall pay TV market in Africa is fragmenting, with top platforms losing dominance as competition intensifies.
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  • Administrative & support services showed the highest percentage increase at 21.07%.
  • Agriculture is the largest sector by GDP value, at ₦59.31 trillion.
  • Trade is the second largest sector by GDP value, at ₦37.81 trillion.
  • Real estate is the third largest sector by GDP value, at ₦28.96 trillion.
  • Other services experienced negative growth, decreasing by -1.17%.
  • Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply recorded the lowest positive growth at 0.56%.
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  • Total Trade Volume in Q1 2025 stood at ₦36.02 trillion, with exports totalling ₦20.6 trillion and imports at ₦15.4 trillion, resulting in a surplus of ₦5.17 trillion.
  • Crude oil dominates Nigeria’s export trade, accounting for the largest share of export revenue. -
  • Other petroleum oil products are also a major export item, reflecting the significance of both raw and refined oil-based commodities in Nigeria’s trade portfolio. -
  • On the import side, manufactured goods dominate, showing Nigeria’s continued reliance on foreign machinery, technology, and consumer goods.
  • While Nigeria exports mostly raw and oil-based products, it imports refined, processed, or industrial goods, indicating a structural trade gap and limited local industrial capacity. -
  • Agricultural and raw material goods feature on both sides of trade, but their value is significantly less than petroleum-related trade.
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  • India is Nigeria’s largest export destination Nigeria exported ₦2.84 trillion worth of goods to India in Q1 2025, driven largely by crude oil.
  • China dominates imports into Nigeria China supplied ₦4.66 trillion worth of goods, far outpacing all other countries. Likely dominated by electronics, machinery, and manufactured goods.
  • The United States appears on both sides. Nigeria exports ₦1.54 trillion to the US and imports ₦1.42 trillion, showing a relatively balanced trade relationship.
  • European countries are major export Partners Netherlands (₦2.30T), France (₦1.44T), and Spain (₦1.44T) are prominent export destinations, indicating strong demand for Nigerian crude oil and other commodities in Europe.
  • UAE barely makes the import list. The UAE closes out the top import list at ₦0.61 trillion, showing relatively lower trade volume compared to others, but still significant enough to be in the top 5.
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- Kenya led with 90.1 percent account ownership in 2024.
- Mauritius (89.6 percent) and Ghana (81.2 percent) also in top 3.
- Nigeria ranked 11th at 63.3 percent; Tanzania fell short at 59.8 percent.
- Only 14 African countries exceeded the 60 percent inclusion benchmark.
- Another 14 African countries have no recent data in the Global Findex

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  • Nigeria’s FAAC revenue increased 49% YoY in March 2025 (₦1.68T vs ₦1.12T in March 2024).
  • February 2025 saw a 48% increase YoY (₦1.70T vs ₦1.15T in February 2024).
  • April 2025 revenue rose by 41% YoY, moving from ₦1.12T in April 2024 to ₦1.58T.
  • January 2025 showed no YoY change, recording ₦1.42T in both 2024 and 2025.
  • The consistent growth in H1 2025 FAAC revenues signals improved government revenue mobilisation, better oil/non-oil collections, and higher capacity for states to meet obligations.
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  • Nigeria’s exchange rate gain revenue dropped by 73.2% in H1 2025 compared to H1 2024.
  • In April 2025, exchange rate gain fell by 90% year-on-year from ₦285.5B to ₦28.7B.
  • May saw an 81% drop, with revenue declining from ₦438.9B in 2024 to ₦81.4B in 2025.
  • January 2025 was the only month with a stable figure, matching January 2024’s ₦402.7B.
  • Exchange rate gain revenue for February and March 2025 was unavailable, likely worsening the total.
  • The first half of 2025 generated only ₦589.4B in FX gains, compared to ₦2.2T in the same period in 2024.
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  • The value of agricultural goods exported in Q1 2025 rose to ₦1.70 trillion, up 64.65% year-on-year and 10.63% quarter-on-quarter, highlighting continued growth in the sector.
  • Standard and superior cocoa beans led the chart, contributing a combined ₦1.23 trillion, with major buyers being The Netherlands (₦344.17B) and Belgium (₦203.17B).
  • Cashew nuts in shell earned ₦157.63B, mostly exported to India (₦87.56B) and Vietnam (₦69.74B), while sesamum seeds brought in ₦128.18B.
  • Soya bean flours and ornamental flowers fetched ₦27B and ₦18B respectively, showing Nigeria's export mix is broadening.
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  • Lagos alone accounts for nearly 25% of all Nigerian states’ external debt, totalling $1.17 billion.
  • The combined debt of Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo is larger than the sum of the debts of the bottom 30 states.
  • States like Yobe, Abuja, and Jigawa each owe less than $25 million externally, indicating minimal foreign exposure.
  • Cross River, Rivers, and Ogun round out the top six debtors, each with external debts around [$190–210] million.
  • Just eleven states owe over $100 million each, while the majority owes less than that threshold.
  • Despite 36 subnational governments, the federal government’s $40.98 billion external debt is over 8x that of all states combined.
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  • Lagos alone holds more domestic debt than the bottom 25 states combined.
  • Jigawa’s domestic debt of ₦1.06 billion is less than 0.15% of Lagos’s debt, showing the widest disparity.
  • The 10 highest-indebted states account for nearly 70% of the total domestic debts across Nigerian states.
  • The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) carries more debt than 17 other states.
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  • Mauritius, with a median age of 38 years, has the oldest population in Africa.
  • The Central African Republic has the youngest population, with a median age of 14 years.
  • Nigeria’s median age of 18 years reflects the dominance of youth in its population.
  • Older populations tend to signal lower fertility rates.
  • Younger populations highlight higher fertility rates and greater demand for education and jobs.
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  • US imports from Africa grew 23.9% year-on-year to $23.4 billion in H1 2025.
  • South Africa drove much of the growth, with exports surging 52.2% to $9.5 billion.
  • Nigeria recorded a 12.1% decline in exports to the US, falling to $2.8 billion.
  • Algeria also posted a contraction, with exports dropping 13.5% to $1.1 billion.
  • Egypt’s exports increased 14.8%.
  • Other African countries collectively expanded exports by 23.5% to $8.6 billion.
  • Africa’s trade growth with the US continues despite tariff barriers, showing resilience.
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  • US imports from Africa jumped 24% to $23.4 billion in H1 2025 despite tariffs.
  • Egypt led gains, doubling its surplus with the US to $2.73 billion.
  • Nigeria swung into a $576 million surplus, reversing last year’s deficit.
  • South Africa’s deficit with the US nearly doubled to $6.32 billion, dragging the overall balance.
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  • Johannesburg is home to the highest number of millionaires in Africa, with 11,700 individuals.
  • Six out of the top ten wealthiest African cities are located in South Africa.
  • Cairo leads North Africa with 6,800 millionaires, showing its dominance as a financial hub.
  • Nairobi has 4,200 millionaires, making it East Africa’s wealthiest city.
  • Lagos, with 3,600 millionaires, remains West Africa’s wealthiest city.
  • Lifestyle regions, such as the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route, feature prominently, reflecting the importance of property and lifestyle economies.
  • Casablanca, with 2,900 millionaires, underscores Morocco’s rising appeal as a North African wealth centre.
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  • Capital expenditure accounted for the largest share of Lagos State’s Q1 2025 spending, at 52%.
  • Overhead costs consumed 22% of the total expenditure.
  • Personnel costs accounted for 18%, reflecting the importance of workforce expenses.
  • Debt servicing made up 5%, indicating relatively low pressure from debt obligations.
  • The balance between recurrent (personnel, overhead, debt, and other recurrent) and capital spending leans heavily towards long-term growth.
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  • Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) accounted for 61% of Lagos State’s Q1 2025 receipts.
  • VAT was the second-largest funding source, contributing 22%.
  • Loans made up 8% of total inflows for the quarter.
  • Opening balance accounted for 4%, indicating a moderate carryover from the previous year.
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