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Popular Insights
  • Nigerians made up 6.5% of international students in the United Kingdom as of 2022
    In the 2021/2022 academic year, 2.86 million students studied in UK's higher education institutions, with 680k (23.8%) being international students. Nigerians accounted for 44k (6.5%) of overseas students in the UK, trailing China's 151k (22.3%) and India's 126k (18.6%).
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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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  • happiness-2024-65fdcc8a1f311

    Nigeria has ranked the 102nd happiest country of 143 countries surveyed globally as of 2024; it ranked 11th of 40 African countries.​
    ​​
    ​Libya ranked 66th globally and 1st in Africa, followed by Mauritius and South Africa in 70th and 83rd positions, respectively.

    The World Happiness Report ranks happiness based on GDP per capita, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption.

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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
  • IHS Towers is the largest tower infrastructure provider in Nigeria, with 18,925 towers in 2023.
  • IHS Towers controls 62.3% of the collocated telecom towers in the country.
  • ATC Nigeria follows, operating 8,270 towers, significantly behind IHS Towers.
  • Other players include Africa Mobile Networks (1,326 towers) and smaller firms (1,852 towers).
  • The Nigerian tower market is highly consolidated, with IHS and American Tower Corporation dominating the space.
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  • MTN dominates submarine fibre optic deployment among GSM operators in Nigeria, increasing its network from 1,500 km in 2018 to 17,984 km in 2022
  • Glo had the earliest and largest submarine fibre deployment, peaking at 19,200 km in 2012, but later scaled down to 9,800 km from 2014 onwards
  • Airtel has not invested in submarine fibre, with its network remaining below 25 km throughout the period
  • 9mobile has not deployed any submarine fibre cable since 2012
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  • Airtel has shown the most aggressive fibre optic expansion, increasing from 4,632 km in 2012 to 16,112 km in 2022
  • Glo initially led with 16,224 km in 2012, but its fibre optic deployment later declined and stabilised around 13,000 km from 2018 to 2022
  • Between 2019 and 2022, MTN's deployment remained unchanged at 14,612 km
  • 9mobile's fibre deployment peaked in 2018 at 4,650 km and remained unchanged till 2022
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  • Dangote Cement has grown its revenue consistently since 2014 and reached a historic ₦3.6 trillion in 2024
  • Revenues have more than tripled between 2020 (₦1.0 trillion) and 2024 (₦3.6 trillion)
  • The year-on-year growth rate shows fluctuations, with declines in some years and sharp rebounds in 2020, 2022, and 2024
  • The highest year-on-year growth occurred in 2024 (62.2%), signalling a particularly strong performance
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  • Nigeria’s active mobile GSM lines reached an all-time high of 224 million in 2023, up from 222 million in 2022.
  • The number of active lines has grown steadily from 40 million in 2007, with notable surges in 2012 (110 million), 2018 (172 million), and 2020 (204 million).
  • Growth slowed between 2016 and 2017, where active lines dipped slightly from 154 million to 145 million, before resuming an upward trajectory.
  • With over 220 million active lines, Nigeria remains one of Africa’s largest telecom markets, driven by increasing mobile adoption.
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Africa's debt-to-GDP ratio (2024 vs 2028)
  • Unlike other regions, Southern Africa’s debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to increase by 5.8 percentage points, reaching 77.4% by 2028.
  • Northern Africa is set to achieve the largest debt-to-GDP decline of 14.7 percentage points, from 84.2% to 69.5%, indicating significant fiscal adjustments.
  • Central Africa is expected to see a 12 percentage point drop, reducing its debt-to-GDP ratio from 45.8% to 33.8%.
  • West Africa’s debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to fall by 4.3 percentage points, while Eastern Africa is expected to drop by 5.2 percentage points, both showing signs of improved debt management.
  • Even with the projected declines, some regions like Northern Africa (69.5%) and Southern Africa (77.4%) will still have high debt burdens compared to others like Central Africa (33.8%).
  • The declining debt-to-GDP ratios in most regions suggest either economic expansion or strategic debt control, but Southern Africa’s increase indicates potential fiscal stress.
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  • Nigeria's largest cement manufacturers each recorded over 50% revenue growth in 2024
  • BUA Cement recorded the largest revenue growth in 2024 (90.5%), nearly doubling its revenue from ₦460 billion in 2023
  • Dangote Cement's revenue exceeded the combined revenue of BUA Cement and Lafarge Africa in both 2023 and 2024
  • Lafarge Africa earned ₦696.8 billion in revenue, the lowest revenue of the three cement majors
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Key takeaways:

  • Tecno (23.55%) and Infinix (21.73%) lead the Nigerian mobile market, making up a combined 45.28% of the market share.
  • Samsung (12.36%) is the leading non-Chinese brand, with Apple (9.43%) following closely behind.
  • Xiaomi (7.15%) and Huawei (4.34%) are emerging as significant players in Nigeria's mobile sector.
  • Premium brands such as Samsung (12.36%) and Apple (9.43%) have considerable but smaller market shares compared to their Chinese counterparts.
  • Chinese manufacturers collectively dominate over 60% of the mobile market in Nigeria.
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Key takeaways:

  • In February 2025, Samsung and Apple dominate the mobile market in Africa.
  • Samsung leads with a 29.80% share of the continent's mobile market based on usage.
  • Apple ranks second with a 13.27% share, demonstrating resilience in markets sensitive to pricing.
  • Collectively, Chinese manufacturers hold more than 45% of the mobile market in Africa.
  • Brands under Transsion Holdings (Tecno, Infinix, Itel) together represent nearly 25% of the total market share based on usage.
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Key Takeaways:

  • In 2023, Kiribati spent the largest % of its GDP on education, amounting to 16.39%.
  • Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu each allocated over 10% of their GDP to education.
  • Bolivia and the Solomon Islands each directed around 8.3% of their GDP spending towards education.
  • The top ten countries dedicated approximately 6.6% to 16.4% of their GDP to education.
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  • Lagos carried the South-West VAT burden, remitting ₦305.52B (89.6% of the region's total) but receiving only ₦62.59B (20.5% return), making it the highest net contributor in Nigeria.
  • Osun had the most disproportionate gain, remitting a mere ₦590M but receiving ₦7.73B, an astronomical 1,211% return—the highest redistribution gain in the South-West.
  • The entire South-West remitted ₦341.18B but received only ₦106.85B, meaning it got back just ₦0.31 for every ₦1 contributed, highlighting a severe VAT allocation imbalance.
  • Ondo and Ogun remitted only ₦3.3B but received ₦16B combined, far exceeding their generated VAT, while Lagos alone subsidised most of the allocations across the country.
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  • The South-East remitted ₦10.94 billion in VAT but received ₦39.15 billion, a 257.7% increase, showing a high reliance on VAT sharing.
  • Abia, the lowest contributor (₦734M), received ₦7.29B, nearly 10× its remittance, making it the biggest relative beneficiary in the region.
  • Anambra, the highest contributor (₦3.56B), received only ₦8.72B, showing a sharing trend where high-contributing states do not necessarily receive the most.
  • Every South-East state received at least 2× what they remitted, with an average allocation of ₦7.83B despite an average contribution of just ₦2.19B.
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Key Takeaways:
  • Electrical and electronic equipment was China’s top export to Nigeria, valued at $2.88 billion.
  • The top five export categories (electrical equipment, machinery, vehicles, plastics, and iron/steel products) together accounted for over $8.78 billion, representing around 44% of total exports.
  • Industrial goods such as machinery and steel, along with manufactured consumer goods, dominate China’s export portfolio.
  • Products like apparel, synthetic materials, and household items featured strongly among the top export categories.
  • In total, China exported goods worth $20.18 billion to Nigeria in 2023.
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Key Takeaways:
  • In 2023, China imported $1.41 billion worth of mineral fuels and oils from Nigeria, making it the leading import category.
  • The top three import categories (mineral fuels, ores, and salt/earth materials) together made up nearly 89% of the total import value.
  • Nigeria’s exports to China are largely raw materials and natural resources, with minimal contribution from manufactured goods.
  • The top ten product categories accounted for almost 99% of China’s total imports from Nigeria.
  • Agricultural and animal products such as oil seeds, raw hides, and spices also formed part of Nigeria’s export portfolio.
  • China’s total imports from Nigeria were valued at $2.37 billion in 2023.
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Key Takeaways:
  • In 2023, China’s exports to Nigeria totaled $20.18 billion, while imports from Nigeria reached only $2.37 billion.
  • China’s trade surplus with Nigeria amounted to approximately $17.8 billion.
  • Chinese exports accounted for 89.5% of the total bilateral trade, with Nigerian exports making up just 10.5%.
  • The trade imbalance underscores Nigeria’s strong dependence on Chinese goods and industrial inputs.
  • For every $1 Nigeria exports to China, it imports $8.50 worth of Chinese products.
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Somalia’s official exchange rate (Somali Shilling per US$), 2015 - 2024
  • Somalia’s currency has depreciated by 26.4% between 2015 and 2024.
  • The sharpest yearly depreciation was in 2019, at 4.64%.
  • From 2020 to 2021, the SOS saw its smallest year-on-year shift at 1.08%.
  • Despite fluctuations, every year from 2015 to 2024 recorded a net increase in SOS per US$.
  • 2017 recorded near-stable currency performance with just a 0.16% change from the previous year.
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Key Takeaways:
  • Africa's gold production grew steadily from 621.78 tonnes in 2010 to 1,003.98 tonnes in 2023.
  • The continent experienced an overall increase of 61.5% in gold output over the 14 years.
  • The continent saw consistent year-on-year growth, with only minor declines in 2020 and 2022.
  • 2023 marked the highest production level in more than a decade.
  • The average annual growth rate in gold mine production over the period was approximately 4%.
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Key Takeaways:
  • Global gold production rose from 2,830.80 tonnes in 2010 to 3,646.07 tonnes in 2023.
  • The most significant year-over-year growth occurred between 2012 and 2013, with an increase of over 178 tonnes.
  • A temporary decline in production was recorded in 2019 and 2020, reflecting pandemic-related disruptions.
  • Production recovered quickly post-pandemic, reaching a record 3,646.07 tonnes by 2023.
  • Over the last fourteen years, gold mine output grew at an average annual rate of approximately 2%.
  • Growth from 2021 to 2023 was more moderate compared to earlier years.
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