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  • In Q3 2023, Nigeria's GDP soared, with almost every sector recording year-on-year growth. Noteworthy growth includes Information and Communication, which increased by 40% compared to Q3 2022. Check out the chart for a quick overview.

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    Over the years, the value of the Zimbabwean Dollar (ZWL) has been on a massive downward trend compared to the US Dollar (USD). This has led to the latter accounting for most of the domestic transactions in the Southern African country. The ZWL went from 10,152.5 to USD 1 as of January 1, 2024, to 30,674.3 on April 1, 2024. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is introducing a gold-backed digital currency as a legal tender to stabilise its currency.
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  • The 2024 Global Peace Index reveals a decline in peacefulness in 97 countries, the highest since the index began.

    Nigeria is among the nations affected by regional conflicts and rising violence. With a peace index score of 2.91, Nigeria is facing increasing challenges.

    A deteriorating peace score impacts foreign investment and economic stability. Global economic losses due to violence reached $19.1 trillion in 2023.

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    The FAAC's revenue distribution from 2017 to August 2023 highlights the dominance of Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa states in allocations. Despite Lagos' economic prominence, it ranked fifth. Here is the distribution of revenue among states between 2017 and August 2023.

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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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    Countries by Global Innovation Index 2024

    The Global Innovation Index 2024 reveals a striking contrast in innovation performance between countries globally and across Africa. Switzerland leads the global rankings with an impressive score of 67.5, followed by Sweden (64.5) and the USA (62.4), highlighting their sustained investments in research, development, and technological advancement.

    In Africa, Mauritius takes the top spot with a score of 30.5, followed closely by Morocco (28.8) and South Africa (28.3). However, even Africa's most innovative nations achieve less than half the score of global leaders, indicating a significant innovation gap.

    Nigeria ranks 15th in the African ranking and 113th globally, out of 133 countries, with a score of 17.1.

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  • Since 2011, over ₦32.8 trillion has gone to Nigeria’s state governors from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). States from the South East have received ₦3.3 trillion combined, the least nationwide.

     

    This fund allocation is to ensure that all levels of government have the necessary funds to meet their financial obligations and to provide public services.

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  • MTN Nigeria has dominated the country's telecommunications market over the years, accounting for the largest market share. All four operators, apart from 9mobile, recorded a significant increase in their subscriber base between May 2014 and March 2024.

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  • The 2024 Global Peace Index reveals a decline in peacefulness in 97 countries, the highest since the index began.

    Nigeria is among the nations affected by regional conflicts and rising violence. With a peace index score of 2.91, Nigeria is facing increasing challenges.

    A deteriorating peace score impacts foreign investment and economic stability. Global economic losses due to violence reached $19.1 trillion in 2023.

    See more

Other Insights
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo is the highest charcoal-producing country in Africa with 274.62PJ (petajoules) of charcoal produced in 2023.
  • Nigeria is the ninth country on the list, with 43.76PJ.
  • The total amount of charcoal produced in Africa in 2023 was 1,367.26PJ.
  • Africa claims 69.2% of the total quantity of charcoal produced globally.
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  • Guinea-Bissau showed the highest agricultural contribution to its GDP at 36.8% in 2024.
  • Contributions range widely, with high reliance seen in Comoros (36.6%) and Ethiopia (34.9%), contrasting with lower percentages in DR Congo (17.1%) and Angola (16.4%).
  • Agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributed a notable 20.4% to Nigeria's GDP in 2024.
  • Countries with high agricultural GDP contributions are predominantly located in West and East Africa.
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  • India tops the list of the global number of people unable to afford a decent meal with a value of 792.80 million causing unaffordability to prevail in the country by 55.6%.
  • China emerged as the second country in this global list with 208.10 million people falling in this category and unaffordability prevalence of 14.6%.
  • Nigeria claimed 6.2% of the global total with 175.6M, making it the 3rd country with the highest number of healthy diet unaffordability.
  • High number of people that could not afford a healthy diet does not outrightly equal high percentage of healthy diet unaffordability.
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  • Burkina Faso's GDP per capita rose from $248.9 in 2000 to an estimated $987.3 in 2024, marking a nearly 297% increase over 25 years.
  • The country saw its largest single-year jump between 2007 and 2008, rising $104.7 from $514.7 to $619.4.
  • Economic downturns were visible in 2009 (-2.9%), 2015 (-17.6%), and 2022 (-6.6%), showing vulnerability to shocks.
  • Since 2020, GDP per capita has grown 19.6%, with 2024 recording the highest value in the dataset.
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  • Estimates place Sierra Leone at the top, with about 64.5% of its GDP tied to the shadow economy.
  • Niger (56.3%) and Ethiopia (50.2%) are the only other nations where over half of economic activity is informal.
  • Even larger economies like Nigeria (30.0%) are estimated to have nearly a third of their GDP in unrecorded transactions.
  • Across the listed countries, estimates range from 28.1% to 64.5%, revealing deep but varied informality in African economies.
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  • The FIRS collected ₦21.7 trillion, outpacing the target of ₦19.4 trillion set by the government.
  • FIRS grossed its highest revenue of all time since 2012 in 2024.
  • Comparing the values of 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 reveals a significant shift.
  • The tax revenue collected in 2024 surpassed the amount collected in 2023 by an outstanding 75.6%.
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  • The highest-ranked countries have managed to provide electricity to every single citizen.
  • Four of the six countries with 100% access are from North Africa.
  • The list isn't a continuous climb; there's a big jump down from the 100% group to the rest of the top 15.
  • The data shows that with the right investment and policies, it is a very realistic goal for a country to achieve full electrification.
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  • Sudan’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 238.8% is the highest in Africa and over twice the size of its economy.
  • Three African countries—Sudan, Cabo Verde, and Zambia—have debt burdens exceeding 100% of their GDP.
  • Egypt, Mozambique, and the Congo Republic follow closely with ratios above 88% each, despite efforts at economic reform.
  • Ghana and Sierra Leone are also in the top 10, showing that West Africa isn’t exempt from debt pressure.
  • Nigeria, while not in the top 10, has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 41.3% and ranks 43rd in Africa.
  • A high debt-to-GDP ratio often limits a country’s ability to invest in growth-driving sectors, even if the economy is growing nominally.
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  • DR Congo has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in Africa, at just 11.1%.
  • Africa’s average debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 63.2%, meaning most countries on the bottom 10 list are performing better than the continental average.
  • Nigeria, despite its size and challenges, still maintains a relatively moderate debt load of 41.3%.
  • Botswana’s debt ratio of 18.1% places it among Africa’s most fiscally conservative economies.
  • Ethiopia and Guinea, both undergoing major economic transitions, still keep debt levels below 32%.
  • The presence of both low-income and resource-rich countries on the list shows that low debt isn’t exclusive to one economic model.
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  • The low access rates in nations like South Sudan and the Central African Republic are often linked to conflict and instability.
  • Fourteen countries on the continent have less than 50% of their population with electricity.
  • At the very bottom of the list, South Sudan has a 5.40% access rate, while Burundi stands at 11.60% and Chad at 12.00%.
  • Twelve African countries have less than 40% access.
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  • A majority (67.2%) of Nigerian crypto users (17.7 million people) use digital assets mainly for investment and long-term financial growth.
  • Overall, 26.34 million Nigerians—over one in eight adults—actively use or hold cryptocurrency, giving the country the highest adoption rate globally.
  • About 18.4% (4.8 million) use crypto for everyday needs such as remittances, payments, and inflation protection.
  • 14.4% (3.8 million) identify as active traders, providing liquidity and earning income through market participation.
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  • Total public debt hits ₦152.4 trillion, marking another milestone in Nigeria’s expanding debt profile.
  • Domestic debt leads at ₦80.5 trillion, making up about 53% of total obligations.
  • External debt stands at ₦71.8 trillion, equivalent to roughly 47%, reflecting Nigeria’s ongoing exposure to foreign lenders.
  • The data signals growing fiscal dependence on local markets, as authorities seek to limit exchange rate risks while still financing deficits.
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  • Power supply remains the biggest challenge affecting Nigerian businesses, affecting 82.5% of firms nationwide.
  • Poor transport infrastructure limits operations for over a quarter of businesses.
  • Internet disruptions affect more than one in five firms, highlighting connectivity gaps.
  • Climate and water issues are emerging risks, with some firms reporting weather damage and supply shortages.
  • The survey covered 1,043 firms across Nigeria and reflects responses from business owners and top managers.
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  • The IMF’s new 2019 GDP base year added between $20 billion and $235 billion annually to Nigeria’s GDP from 1990–2025.
  • 2014 saw the biggest jump — an upward revision of $235.1 billion, raising GDP to $811.1 billion from $576.0 billion under the old base.
  • The rebased data consistently show 40–45% higher GDP values through the 2000s and 2010s, revealing a larger economy than earlier estimates.
  • The impact was strongest during Nigeria’s oil boom years (2007–2014), when rebasing captured fast-growing sectors like digital services, informal trade, and modular refining.
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  • Sudan ranks highest in Africa with 18 coup attempts, the most in the continent since 1950.
  • Burkina Faso, Burundi, and Sierra Leone follow closely with 11 attempts each.
  • Ghana and Guinea-Bissau have each experienced 10 coup attempts, ranking among the top six.
  • West Africa remains the most coup-prone subregion, accounting for 9 of the top 15 coups in the region.
  • Africa has witnessed 226 coup attempts between 1950 and 2025.
  • Most coup-prone countries share traits like weak institutions, governance failures, and economic hardship.
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  • Nigeria’s GDP has been rebased to a 2019 base year, raising its nominal value by about 40.8%, according to the IMF’s October 2025 update.
  • The revision includes new data on digital, informal, and service sectors, giving a fuller picture of the economy.
  • Nigeria ranked among the world’s top 20 economies in 1998, 2013, 2014, and 2015, peaking in 2014 at $811 billion.
  • Despite later declines from currency depreciation and slower growth, the revision reaffirms Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest economy.
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