The United States imported over $5.7 billion in goods from Nigeria in 2024, with mineral fuels and oils accounting for 93%

Key Takeaways:

Mineral fuels and oils dominated the US' imports from Nigeria, totalling $5.28 billion.
Total US imports from Nigeria reached $5.70 billion in 2024.
Non-oil sectors contributed approximately $423 million to the total US imports from Nigeria.
US imports from Nigeria cut across 70 distinct product categories.
The average value across all import categories was $81.4 million.
The top 10 imported goods made up 99.1% of the total imported value.

In 2024, the United States imported $5.70 billion worth of goods from Nigeria, with petroleum products maintaining their historical dominance in the trade relationship. Mineral fuels and oil products accounted for $5.28 billion of total imports from Nigeria.

Despite this heavy dependence on oil, there are signs of export diversification. Fertilisers emerged as the second most valuable export category at $139.41 million, followed by lead products at $78.17 million. These non-oil sectors, along with various other industrial and agricultural products, collectively contributed approximately $423 million to the trade balance.

Source:

USA Trade Online - U.S. Census Bureau

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Period:

2024

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In 2025, Nigeria imported crude oil for the first time in the past decade, accounting for 11% of its total crude oil trade

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Nigeria recorded its first crude oil imports in a decade in 2025, marking a structural shift in trade dynamics.
Imports accounted for 11% of total crude oil trade in 2025.
Total crude oil trade grew sharply from ₦7 trillion in 2016 to ₦53.2 trillion in 2025, indicating long-term expansion.
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Nigeria exported ₦47tn in crude, yet spent ₦45tn importing finished goods and refined petroleum

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Nigeria exports ₦25.3tn in petroleum products yet imports ₦13.3tn of refined petroleum. Africa's top oil producer still can't fully process its own crude.
Despite Nigeria's vast farmland, agri-exports (₦5.07tn) barely exceed agri-imports (₦4.76tn). The sector earns almost nothing net.