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  • Nigeria's debt burden has been a growing concern, with data revealing that for every $1 billion external loan repaid in the past decade, approximately $3 billion was borrowed. Here, we look at how the country has managed its external debt in the past ten 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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A recent UNICEF report shows that 293m children worldwide did not have drinking water in their schools in 2023. Six African and four Asian countries make up the top ten, with Ethiopia and Nigeria occupying first and second positions, respectively, with 33.2m and 29m children.

The top five countries account for 42% of the total affected population.

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Bitcoin has seen remarkable growth since 2010. Starting from a high of just $0.5 in 2010, it reached an all-time high of $73.7k in March 2024.

It recorded new peaks in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2020, 2021, and recently in 2024.

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Nine of the top ten countries with the highest rates of female child marriage are in Africa. Niger leads the list, with 76% of women aged 20 to 24 married or in union before 18.
Bangladesh is the only non-African country in the top ten, with a rate of 51%.

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As of December 2023, Indians accounted for one in three holders of Canadian work permits, representing 32% of the total (1.76 million). Ukraine followed with almost 10%. Nigeria came 8th, with 2% of the permit holders.

 

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As of December 2023, more than 36,000 Nigerians — 2% of the global holders — had Canadian work permits. This number represented a 118% rise from December 2022.

Nigeria's share of the total peaked in December 2018 at 2.4%.

N.B. The number of global holders of the Canadian work permit increased by 60% in 2023.

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In Q4 2023, Spectranet maintained its top position as Nigeria's biggest internet service provider with nearly 114k active subscribers, holding 43% of the market share. FiberOne followed with 10% of the market.

Starlink increased its subscriber base by 113% to claim the 3rd position with 9% of the market.

Here are Nigeria's top internet service providers by active subscribers in Q4 2023.

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In 2023, businesses in Nigeria's finance and insurance sector paid ₦458.8 billion as taxes to the government, 119.6% more than in 2022.

Those in the manufacturing sector also increased their payments and remain the top tax-paying sector in the country.
Here are the top five sectors where businesses paid the most tax in 2023.

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In the world's top 1,000 scrabble players' ranking, Nigerians occupy 156 positions, marking the highest representation from any country. According to ratings by the World English-language Scrabble Players' Association (WESPA), the top 1,000 players are from 43 countries.

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According to recent data, there were approximately 96,487 tonnes of gold jewellery in the world in Dec. 2023, accounting for 45% of the total estimated amount of gold (212,582 tonnes) mined throughout history. Here is an estimated distribution of gold holdings as of Dec. 2023.

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  • The GDP contribution from the telecom sector increased from 14.13% in Q1 2023 to 16.36% in Q2 2024.
  • The highest contribution (16.36%) was seen in Q2 2024.
  • The telecom sector contributes significantly to GDP, maintaining values above 10% quarterly from Q1 2020 to Q3 2024.
  • The second quarter consistently contributed more to Nigeria’s GDP throughout the observed timeframe.
  • The first and second quarters of 2024 showed an improvement in the sector's contribution to GDP compared to the previous years.
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Between 2010 and 2022, Nigeria imported 245 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, with the highest imports recorded in 2022. Here is the volume of PMS imported into the country in 13 years from 2010.

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Nigeria's exports amounted to ₦35.9 trillion in 2023, with the Netherlands its top destination accounting for ₦4.5 trillion, followed by Spain with ₦3.3 trillion. India and the United States were also top destinations. Here are Nigeria's top export destinations in 2023.

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Key Takeaways:
  • Cameroon’s IMF debt decreased from SDR 70.6 million in 2016 to SDR 49.1 million in 2017—a 30% reduction.
  • From 2018 onwards, the country experienced steady increases in outstanding debt.
  • After an initial 30% reduction from 2016 to 2017, debt skyrocketed by 380% in just one year (2017-2018).
  • By March 2025, Cameroon’s outstanding debt had reached SDR 1.18 billion, representing a staggering SDR 1.13 billion increase from its 2017 level.
  • Although the pace of accumulation has moderated in recent years, the overall debt trend remains upward.
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Key Takeaways:
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reduced its external debt significantly from SDR 263 million in 2016 to SDR 69.3 million by 2019.
  • A sharp reversal occurred in 2020, with debt surging by 327% within a single year, from SDR 69.3 million in 2019 to SDR 296.2 million.
  • Over the decade from 2016 to 2025, the country’s debt increased by 580%, reaching SDR 1.79 billion by March 2025.
  • From 2020 to 2025, the DRC has accumulated over SDR 1.49 billion in new debt.
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  • Gold hit its trough at $1,985/oz in February 2024, marking the low before an uninterrupted rally.
  • After a spring consolidation, gold surged past $2,500/oz in September 2024 (peaking then at $2,546), signaling broadening investor demand.
  • The metal first cracked the $3,000/oz threshold in March 2025 when it reached $3,026, underscoring accelerating momentum.
  • That rally culminated in a new record of $3,323/oz in April 2025, a 67.5% gain from the February 2024 low.
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Global internet usage overview
  • A staggering 96.3% of users access the internet via mobile devices, making smartphones the most important digital tools in the world today.
  • While 82.7% of the global urban population is online, only 47.4% of the rural population has access. That’s a huge gap that reflects deep inequalities in infrastructure and digital opportunity.
  • Spending 6 hours and 38 minutes online every day isn’t just scrolling time; it’s a shift in how humans live, learn, and earn. It’s equivalent to more than 100 full days online per year per person.
  • Although mobile dominates, 61.5% of users still access the internet through computers, proving that traditional devices still matter for work, school, or content creation.
  • While 70% of men use the internet, 65.7% of women do. This gap may seem small, but on a global scale, it represents millions of women without access to tools for learning, income, and visibility.
  • With billions spending almost 7 hours daily online, the internet is where decisions are made, opinions are formed, and lives are influenced.
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Share of private capital deals (volume) in Francophone Africa, by Sector, 2012 – 2024 H1
  • Between 2020–2024 H1, 40.58% and 50.91% of deal volume went to consumer staples and consumer discretionary respectively, showing that everyday goods and lifestyle products are fast becoming investment magnets.
  • The utilities sector deal volume exploded in recent years, jumping from 21.62% in 2016–2019 to 70.27% in 2020–2024 H1, an indication that basic infrastructure services like energy, water, and power are now central to investment strategies.
  • 78.57% of all deal volume in the information technology sector happened in the most recent period, suggesting that digital solutions and tech platforms are increasingly being backed by private capital.
  • The industrials sector also bounced back, with 46% of its deal volume coming in the 2020–2024 period.
  • Energy sector investment dropped from 66.67% to 33.33%, and real estate recorded no new deals after 2015.
  • Health care remained consistent across all three periods, securing exactly 33.33% of the deal volume each time, highlighting its stability, even if not standout growth.
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  • Nigeria’s currency has undergone 10 key shifts; from note introductions to redesigns and a digital launch.
  • Between 1999 and 2005, four new notes; ₦100 to ₦1,000, were introduced in response to inflation.
  • The ₦200, ₦500 & ₦1,000 notes, which dominate in circulation by value, were revamped with high-security features.
  • In 2021, Nigeria launched the eNaira, making it the first African country with a Central Bank Digital Currency.
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