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

Period:

2024
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Nigeria’s foreign trade
  • Total Trade Volume in Q1 2025 stood at ₦36.02 trillion, with exports totalling ₦20.6 trillion and imports at ₦15.4 trillion, resulting in a surplus of ₦5.17 trillion.
  • Crude oil dominates Nigeria’s export trade, accounting for the largest share of export revenue. -
  • Other petroleum oil products are also a major export item, reflecting the significance of both raw and refined oil-based commodities in Nigeria’s trade portfolio. -
  • On the import side, manufactured goods dominate, showing Nigeria’s continued reliance on foreign machinery, technology, and consumer goods.
  • While Nigeria exports mostly raw and oil-based products, it imports refined, processed, or industrial goods, indicating a structural trade gap and limited local industrial capacity. -
  • Agricultural and raw material goods feature on both sides of trade, but their value is significantly less than petroleum-related trade.
Nigeria's foreign trade
  • India is Nigeria’s largest export destination Nigeria exported ₦2.84 trillion worth of goods to India in Q1 2025, driven largely by crude oil.
  • China dominates imports into Nigeria China supplied ₦4.66 trillion worth of goods, far outpacing all other countries. Likely dominated by electronics, machinery, and manufactured goods.
  • The United States appears on both sides. Nigeria exports ₦1.54 trillion to the US and imports ₦1.42 trillion, showing a relatively balanced trade relationship.
  • European countries are major export Partners Netherlands (₦2.30T), France (₦1.44T), and Spain (₦1.44T) are prominent export destinations, indicating strong demand for Nigerian crude oil and other commodities in Europe.
  • UAE barely makes the import list. The UAE closes out the top import list at ₦0.61 trillion, showing relatively lower trade volume compared to others, but still significant enough to be in the top 5.
Cocoa led Nigeria’s agricultural exports by value in Q1 2025, with over ₦1.2B
  • The value of agricultural goods exported in Q1 2025 rose to ₦1.70 trillion, up 64.65% year-on-year and 10.63% quarter-on-quarter, highlighting continued growth in the sector.
  • Standard and superior cocoa beans led the chart, contributing a combined ₦1.23 trillion, with major buyers being The Netherlands (₦344.17B) and Belgium (₦203.17B).
  • Cashew nuts in shell earned ₦157.63B, mostly exported to India (₦87.56B) and Vietnam (₦69.74B), while sesamum seeds brought in ₦128.18B.
  • Soya bean flours and ornamental flowers fetched ₦27B and ₦18B respectively, showing Nigeria's export mix is broadening.
China dominated Nigeria’s generator market in 2024, supplying nearly 70% of imports
  • Nigeria imported $281 million worth of generator sets in 2024.
  • China remained the dominant supplier, accounting for $195 million, or nearly 70% of total imports.
  • Other top suppliers included India ($20.6M), Germany ($15.4M), and South Korea ($16.5M).
  • Compared to 2023, imports from China dipped slightly (from $202M to $195M), and other countries like Germany and India also saw declines.
  • The data captures a wide range of generator types — petrol, diesel, wind-powered, and rotary converters — under HS Code 8502.
  • Mirror data reflects only officially reported trade and excludes informal or undocumented imports.
Air Peace leads Nigeria’s airline fleet with 37 aircraft, more than double any other operator
  • Air Peace operates the largest fleet with 37 aircraft, combining its mainline and subsidiary, Air Peace Hopper.
  • Arik Air and Max Air follow distantly with 14 and 10 aircraft respectively, less than half of Air Peace’s combined fleet.
  • Only 5 airlines operate fleets of 8 or more aircraft, highlighting a significant concentration of operational strength at the top.
  • Over one-third of the listed airlines (7 out of 20) operate with fleets of just 4 aircraft or fewer.
Nigeria maintained its trade surplus streak in Q1 2025, with ₦5.17 trillion
  • Total trade rose from ₦12.7 trillion (Q2 2023) to over ₦36 trillion (Q1 2025).
  • Exports grew from ₦6.4 trillion (Q2 2023) to ₦20.6 trillion (Q1 2025).
  • Sustained trade surpluses started from Q2 2023, peaking at ₦5.2 trillion in Q1 2025.
  • Imports also rose from ₦6.3 trillion (Q2 2023) to ₦15.4 trillion (Q1 2025), but slower than exports.
  • Pre-2023 was deficit-heavy: Most quarters from 2020–2022 recorded trade deficits or very small surpluses.
  • Q1 2021 had the worst deficit: -₦1.89 trillion, driven by high imports and weak exports.
  • Naira devaluation is the turning point: Starting around Q2 2023, it inflated export values in naira terms.
  • Export growth may not reflect volume; gains are likely due to FX effects, not necessarily more goods shipped.
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