The projected contribution of Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation to Nigeria's GDP shows a slow but steady increase from 4.12% in 2020 to 6.00% by 2050
Key takeaways:
The arts, entertainment, and recreation sector contributed 4.12% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2020.
By 2025, this contribution is projected to rise modestly to 4.43%.
The growth rate maintains a steady pace, reaching 4.75% by 2030.
By 2050, the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector is projected to reach a 6.00% share of Nigeria’s GDP.
With only a 1.88 percentage point rise forecasted over 30 years, the pace of growth suggests the sector remains undervalued or under-leveraged relative to its potential.
The creative economy’s resilience, despite limited public infrastructure and policy support, demonstrates strong organic demand and global competitiveness.
Nigeria’s arts, entertainment, and recreation sector is expected to be increasingly important in the economy over the next three decades. Starting from a 4.12% contribution to GDP in 2020, projections show a consistent, albeit gradual, rise to 6.00% by 2050. This growth trajectory reflects the growing influence of creative industries in Nigeria’s broader economic agenda. It also underscores the potential of non-oil sectors to contribute meaningfully to economic diversification and job creation.
This upward trend is especially relevant in a country where a large percentage of the population is young, creative, and digitally connected. More platforms, sponsorships, and policy incentives can boost this growth beyond the projected 6.00% by 2050. As the global economy continues to evolve toward digital content and experiences, Nigeria’s creative economy could emerge as a major driver of future resilience and inclusion.
The share of minimum wage needed to afford a healthy diet fell from 124.1% in June to 54.2% in July 2024, when the minimum wage was increased from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
Before July, the cost of a healthy diet for a month exceeded 100% of [the] minimum wage, making it unaffordable for minimum-wage earners.
The sharpest burden was recorded in June 2024, when households needed their full salary plus 24% extra to eat healthily.
Between July and December, affordability worsened slightly from 54.2% to 64.1%, indicating that food prices continued to rise despite the wage boost.
The implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage in 2024 provided significant relief to Nigerian households struggling with the high cost of eating healthily.
Among the 113 countries measured in the 2022 Global Food Security Index, Nigeria is ranked 107th overall, putting it deep in the bottom ten globally.
Nigeria has the lowest affordability score globally in the GFSI 2022, scoring only 25.0 in that pillar.
The country performs marginally better in other pillars: its score in “Quality and Safety” is relatively higher (55.6), and “Sustainability and Adaptation” is 53.7. But other pillars like “Availability” (39.5) remain weak.
Globally, a group of countries, including Nigeria, DR Congo, Sudan, Venezuela, Burundi, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Haiti, and Syria, all cluster at low overall GFSI scores (below ~45), reflecting severe challenges.
