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  • Newzoo, a provider of video game and gamer data, reported that in 2023, Nigerian mobile gamers spent approximately $229.7m — the highest expenditure in Africa — boasting a sizable 14.7m spenders.

    Egypt's gamers spent an estimated $212.6m and occupied second place in Africa's mobile gaming expenditure ranking.

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    The value of transactions conducted over Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) in Nigeria in 2021 was ₦5.2 trillion, 73% higher than 2020 figures. The total transaction value dropped by ₦685 billion in 2022, a 13.3% decline. The transaction volume also witnessed a 6% decline.

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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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    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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  • 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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    Every Nigerian president since 1999 left office with a higher dollar to naira exchange rate than when they took office. Will President Tinubu's tenure be the exception?

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  • Over time, Nigerian workers under 50 have increasingly relied on pension savings during unemployment. This graph illustrates the upward trend with some fluctuations in both the total amount withdrawn — ₦26.9 billion in 2022, and the number of approved withdrawals. Individuals who can withdraw 25% of their retirement savings balance are those who disengaged/retired before the age of 50 years in accordance with the terms and conditions of their respective employment and stayed unemployed for at least six months.

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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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  • 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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Other Insights
E-commerce payments method in Nigeria (transaction value %), 2023 and 2027
  • Digital wallets are the fastest-growing e-commerce payment method in Nigeria, set to double from 11% in 2023 to 22% by 2027.
  • A2A transfers remain the dominant payment method, slightly increasing from 32% to 34%, showing continued reliance on direct bank-to-bank transfers.
  • Cash-on-delivery is becoming less relevant, dropping from 15% in 2023 to just 9% in 2027, signaling a shift away from cash-based transactions.
  • Both debit card and credit card payments are declining, with debit cards dropping from 19% to 16% and credit cards falling from 15% to 12%, suggesting a changing balance in card preferences.
  • Prepaid cards and buy now, pay later (BNPL) solutions remain relatively small players in the Nigerian e-commerce space, with minimal growth.
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Nigeria's Value Added Tax collections by sector (Q1-Q2 2024)
 
  • Three sectors, Manufacturing, ICT, and Mining & Quarrying, accounted for 58.8% of total VAT revenue in the first half of 2024.
  • Manufacturing alone contributed 24.8% of VAT, making it the highest-paying sector.
  • Nigeria’s digital economy is thriving, with ICT generating 17.6% of VAT revenue, signaling the growth of telecom, data services, and digital platforms.
  • The extractive industry remains vital, with Mining & Quarrying contributing 16.4% of total VAT collection.
  • Finance & Insurance (10.2%) and Public Administration & Defence (9.7%) also made significant contributions to Nigeria’s VAT revenue.
  • Despite contributions from 21 sectors, VAT revenue is still heavily reliant on a few key industries, highlighting the need for a broader tax base.
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Nigeria's public debt stock (2017 - 2024)
  • External debt has nearly doubled as in 2017, it stood at 26.64%, but by 2024, it had risen to 46.96%.
  • Domestic debt has dropped from 73.36% in 2017 to 53.04% in 2024, showing a decline.
  • Nigeria’s increasing reliance on external loans suggests a strategic shift in public debt financing.
  • Unlike other years, domestic debt share slightly increased in 2023, rising to 60.74%, before external debt rebounded in 2024.
  • A rising share of external debt means higher exposure to foreign exchange risks and global market conditions.
  • If the trend continues, Nigeria’s external and domestic debt may soon be equal, reducing the traditional dominance of domestic borrowing.
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  • Nigeria remains the largest forest owner in West Africa, despite a steady decline in forest area from 217,902.5 km² in 2019 to 213,003.5 km² in 2022.
  • Ghana is the only top forest-owning country with increasing forest area, growing from 79,784.8 km² in 2019 to 80,001.6 km² in 2022.
  • Liberia, Senegal, and Burkina Faso all experienced gradual declines in forest area over the period.
  • Burkina Faso has the smallest forest area among these countries, with 61,164 km² in 2022.
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  • Apple leads the global market with $3.863 trillion market capitalisation, followed closely by Nvidia at $3.355 trillion and Microsoft at $3.200 trillion.
  • Tesla ($1.385T) remains the most valuable automobile company, far ahead of traditional car manufacturers.
  • The highest-ranked non-tech company, Saudi Aramco, stands at $1.805 trillion.
  • Other trillion-dollar companies span industries such as finance (Berkshire Hathaway – $0.984T) and media (Meta – $1.514T).
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  • Nigeria’s agricultural GDP reached ₦19.3 billion in 2023, showing minimal growth.
  • From 2013 to 2023, agriculture played a key role in Nigeria’s economic growth, averaging 24.43% of the total annual GDP.
  • Agriculture's share in the total GDP in 2020 (25.90%) dropped to 24.76% in 2023.
  • Post-pandemic recovery in the agricultural sector has been robust, with consistent growth from ₦18.3 billion in 2020 to ₦19.3 billion in 2023.
  • Agriculture remains a critical driver of Nigeria’s economy, ensuring food security and supporting livelihoods across the country.
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Key takeaways:

  • The highest percentage of requirements was met in 2019.
  • Less than 50 percent of UN funds targeted towards Nigeria's humanitarian aid was realised in 2023.
  • As of 2020, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, approximately 58 percent of the UN target for Nigeria's humanitarian support was raised, which is lower than the percentage realised in 2019 and 2021.
  • Every year, Nigeria obtains at least 40% of the UN's humanitarian aid needs.
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Key Takeaways:

  • The average price for 5kg cooking gas ranges from ₦6,000 to ₦8,100.
  • The price difference of cooking gas between various Nigerian states is 25.09%.
  • Out of Nigeria's 36 states plus Abuja, fifteen have an average price for 5kg cooking gas above the national average.
  • Taraba State is uniquely positioned as the sole state in Nigeria with an average cooking gas price above ₦8,000.
  • The national average cost for 5kg cooking gas in Nigeria is ₦7,177.27.
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Key takeaways:

  • The highest amount of funds raised for Nigeria’s humanitarian aid was recorded in 2017 at $770 million.
  • From 2019 to 2020, there was only a slight increase of 0.3% in the amount raised.
  • By 2023, a decline of 23.42% from 2022's raised funds was witnessed, and it is the lowest decline experienced since 2017.
  • Regardless of fluctuations in annual assistance, Nigeria continued to receive humanitarian aid from the United Nations.
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Key Takeaways:

  • The top 20 food items witnessed extreme inflation, surpassing 200%.
  • Onions and yams lead the list with remarkable price hikes of 353% and 317%, respectively.
  • Various types of rice exhibited significant price increases (310% for Ofada rice, 250% for local rice, etc).
  • Basic protein sources such as eggs (207%) and chicken (202%) saw their prices more than double, making them increasingly less affordable.
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  • Nigeria’s first ATM was deployed in 1990 by Société Générale Bank, marking the start of a new era in banking.
  • Interswitch kicked off interbank transactions in 2003, allowing Nigerians to use ATMs provided by other banks asides their own.
  • The CBN has implemented several policies to regulate ATM deployment, fees, and usage.
  • ATM fees have fluctuated over the years, with a major reduction in 2020 and an increase in 2025.
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Share of POS cash transaction value in selected countries (2019, 2023 and 2027)
  • Among all the 40 countries studied in the report, Nigeria leads the decline in cash transactions, dropping from 91% in 2019 to 55% in 2023, a sharper decline than any other country analysed.
  • By 2027, Nigeria’s cash transactions are projected to fall to 42%.
  • Mexico, Thailand, and Japan are also experiencing significant declines, with cash transactions expected to drop below 35% in all three countries by 2027.
  • Brazil, which started with a relatively lower cash transaction rate (48% in 2019), is on track to become one of the least cash-dependent nations in this group, with just 12% of transactions expected to be cash-based by 2027.
  • The global average for cash transactions was already low at 26% in 2019, and it is set to decline further to just 11% by 2027, making cash an increasingly rare payment method worldwide.
  • Germany, a traditionally cash-friendly economy, has seen a major drop, with cash transactions decreasing from 50% in 2019 to a projected 29% by 2027, reflecting broader changes in consumer behavior.
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  • Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie globally, earning $2.92 billion.
  • Titanic, released in 1997, is still among the top-grossing films with $2.22 billion, showing the lasting appeal of classics.
  • Recent films like Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.32 billion) and Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92 billion) prove that sequels and superhero films continue to drive massive revenues.
  • Disney properties dominate the list, with multiple Marvel, Star Wars, and animated films ranking among the top earners.
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  • Dangote first announced the refinery in 2013 with a $9 billion plan, securing $3.3 billion in funding.
  • The estimated cost grew to $15 billion in 2017, as planned refining capacity increased to 650,000 barrels per day.
  • By 2023, the refinery was finally commissioned, after its total cost surged past $20 billion.
  • In December 2023, the first crude supply of 1 million barrels arrived, marking the start of operations.
  • By 2024, the refinery began producing diesel and jet fuel, with 6 million barrels received for processing.
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Key takeaways:
  • In 2024, BUA Foods hit new heights, with gross profit for Q4 surpassing ₦189 billion.
  • A remarkable surge occurred in 2024, with quarterly gross profits regularly exceeding ₦100 billion.
  • The fourth quarter of 2024 marked a significant peak, illustrating a 200% increase from Q4 2023.
  • BUA Foods' gross profit dramatically climbed from approximately ₦25 billion in 2021 to nearly ₦190 billion in Q4 2024.
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Share of people living in Africa by region as of January 2025
  • Eastern Africa is the most populous region, making up 33.09% of Africa’s total population, with over 507 million people.
  • Together, Eastern and Western Africa house over 63% of Africa’s total population, indicating where much of the continent’s human capital and economic activity will be concentrated.
  • Northern Africa has 274.1 million people (17.89%), while Central Africa has 216.3 million (14.11%), placing them in the mid-range of Africa’s population distribution.
  • Southern Africa is by far the least populous region, contributing just 4.8% (73.6 million people) to Africa’s 1.5 billion total.
  • The population contrast across regions highlights key differences in urbanisation, economic opportunities, and development needs.
  • Understanding Africa’s population distribution is crucial for businesses, policymakers, and investors, as future economic growth, consumer markets, and labour forces will be heavily influenced by these demographic trends.
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The number of people living in each region globally as of January 2025
  • Asia remains the world's population giant, housing nearly 59% of the global population.
  • Africa’s population boom is accelerating, contributing 18.7% of the world’s people.
  • Europe is shrinking in global demographic weight, making up only 9.09% of the world’s people.
  • Oceania remains sparsely populated, with just 0.57% of the global population.
  • Demographic trends will shape economic power, as nations with younger populations could become economic engines if properly harnessed.
  • Urbanisation and resource allocation will become critical, especially in Asia and Africa, where rising populations will put pressure on housing, food, and infrastructure.
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Share of individuals globally in each age group (January 2025)
  • Nearly half of the global population is aged between 20 and 54, making this group the primary driver of economic activities worldwide.
  • Individuals under 19 years old make up 32.9% of the total global population, highlighting the need for sustained investments in education and child welfare.
  • Over 19% of the population is aged 55 and above, emphasising the need for healthcare, retirement planning, and age-friendly policies.
  • With 2.10 billion people, the 35-54 group represents the backbone of global leadership, corporate decision-making, and financial stability.
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