Key Takeaways:

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has documented over 435,000 refugees in the U.S. in 2024.
• China and Afghanistan stand as the leading sources of refugees, with 60,044 and 46,137 individuals identified as refugees from these countries respectively.
• The top eleven countries of origin have each recorded more than 10,000 refugees in the United States.
• Central American nations (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) accounted for 19.9% of refugees in the US.

Key takeaways:

• Tunisia ranked the highest in Africa with a remarkable life expectancy of about 77 years, surpassing Africa's value of 64 years.
• Five North African countries are among the top 8 countries with the highest life expectancy at birth in Africa.
• There is a significant 22-year difference between the life expectancy in Tunisia (77 years) and Nigeria (55 years).
• Sub-Saharan countries generally have lower life expectancy rates.
• Nigeria is ranked among countries with the lowest life expectancy in Africa and the world.

Key takeaways:

• Sudan requires the largest amount of humanitarian assistance, exceeding $4.16 billion.
• The Syrian Arab Republic is second on the list of recipients, requiring $4 billion in humanitarian aid.
• A total of eleven top countries are set to receive over $1 billion each in support, with the leading six countries requiring more than $2.4 billion each.
• The top ten countries account for over 75% of total global humanitarian needs, which exceeds $32 billion.

• December 2024 saw the biggest year-on-year increase in average movie ticket price since the 38.5% increase in 2021.
• Cinema ticket prices in Nigeria have maintained an upward price trend since 2018, increasing by over 300%.
• Since 2021, average ticket prices in December have maintained double-digit increases over 30% annually.
• 2024's average ticket price was 17% below projections.

Key takeaways:

• The crisis in Ukraine, affecting about 12.7 million people, represents 5.13% of the global humanitarian needs.
• The top eleven nations account for more than 70% of global humanitarian demands, with over 177 million individuals requiring aid.
• Sudan has the highest number of individuals requiring assistance (30.4 million), which is 12.29% of the total global figure.
• Both Nigeria and Chad report 7.8 million individuals in need, which is 3.15% of the total global humanitarian need.

Key takeaways:

• Economic activities are categorised into three sectors.
• The services sector is the largest employer of labour.
• The data indicates that Nigeria's economy is primarily service-based.
• The industry sector comprises of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities.

• With 120% and 118% inflation rates, respectively, the two top nations are experiencing economic meltdowns, making essentials like food and housing almost unattainable.
• With 57.5% inflation, Zimbabwe continues its battle against economic instability, making it the 4th highest in the world and the worst in Africa.
• The fact that several countries exceed the global average of 7.27% by 4x to 16x highlights the severe economic strain facing multiple regions.
• Countries with inflation above 30% risk prolonged economic instability as businesses struggle to survive and citizens face rising poverty levels.

• Treasury Bills have seen a sharp decline in their share of domestic debt service, dropping from 30.1% in 2017 to just 6.4% in 2024. This suggests a shift away from short-term debt instruments.
• Treasury Bonds, which peaked at 14.9% in 2022, also declined to just 5.6% in 2024.
• By 2021, over 80% of domestic debt service payments were already allocated to FGN Bonds, showing a consistent pattern of prioritisation. The trend has only intensified in subsequent years.
• The rising dominance of FGN Bonds means Nigeria is locking itself into long-term repayment obligations, potentially increasing the fiscal burden in the future.
• This trend underscores the need for careful debt management policies to prevent a future where long-term commitments become a burden rather than a stabilising factor. 🚨

• Lagos led Nigeria’s box office with ₦5.8 billion in revenue, generating more revenue than all other regions combined.
• The South-South emerged as the strongest market outside Lagos, contributing ₦2.1 billion, nearly 50% more than the South-West.
• Abuja outperformed all three northern zones combined, earning ₦852 million, which is nearly four times their total revenue.
• Cinema penetration in northern Nigeria remains weak, with the North-East contributing only ₦2.4 million—less than 0.05% of the national total, highlighting a significant gap in cinema infrastructure and audience engagement.

• Between 2010 and 2024 (a 15-year period), the federal government invested over ₦25.7 trillion in capital projects.
• The post-2020 era saw a dramatic rise in capital expenditure, growing from ₦1.61 trillion in 2020 to ₦5.15 trillion in 2024, indicating accelerated investments in infrastructure.
• The increase in expenditure after 2020 suggests the government prioritised economic recovery efforts, allocating more resources to capital projects post-pandemic.
• Nigeria recorded its highest-ever capital expenditure in 2023 (₦4.49 trillion) and 2024 (₦5.15 trillion), showing a more aggressive investment approach in recent years.
• 2014 recorded the lowest capital expenditure (₦0.59 trillion) in the 15-year span, possibly due to revenue shortfalls, oil price fluctuations, or policy shifts at the time.

• Since 2013, the Nigerian government has disbursed ₦3.4 trillion in pension and gratuity payments.
• Pension expenditure jumped from ₦107.4 billion in 2013 to ₦438.6 billion in 2023, a nearly four times increase, showing the rising cost of maintaining pension obligations.
• While pension spending grew gradually between 2013 and 2018, a significant spike began in 2019 (₦307.4 billion), showing a shift in pension allocations.
• The highest pension expenditure recorded so far was in 2023, surpassing all previous years.
• The Need for a Sustainable Pension System – With pension spending climbing yearly, ensuring a sustainable funding model will be crucial for future government budgets.

•  The three largest cinema chains in Nigeria grossed over ₦7.6 billion naira combined in 2024 from Anglophone West Africa
• EbonyLife Cinemas made the highest amount of any single cinema location
• Filmhouse Cinemas has maintained the highest box office revenue for seven years
• At ₦3.3 billion naira, Filmhouse's 2024 revenue is the highest ever recorded by a cinema chain in the region