City in Nigeria

Nigeria Economy

Nigeria's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 478 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 2,205 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 2.4% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 45% of overall GDP, manufacturing 15%, other industrial activity 17%, and agriculture 23%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 62% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 5%, fixed investment 34%, and net exports -1%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2021, manufactured products made up 6% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 89%, food 3%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 0%, with other categories accounting for 1% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 53% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 31%, food 14%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for 0% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 64 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 58 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 2.4% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Nigeria, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Nigeria's fiscal deficit averaged 4.1% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 11.3% in the decade to 2018. For more information on Nigeria's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 13.0% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Nigeria inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Nigeria's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 16.50%, up from 12.00% a decade earlier. See our Nigeria monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the naira weakened by 65.1% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the naira, click here.
Year-on-year economic growth was stable at Q2’s level in Q3. A smaller contraction in the oil sector offset a slowdown in the non-oil sector. The economy likely expanded at a similar pace in Q4 relative to Q3. Higher oil production during the quarter should have buttressed momentum. Moreover, credit growth gained steam in October–November. Less positively, PMI data for the quarter points to stale activity in the private sector, and inflation continued to accelerate throughout the period. In other news, in early January, the Dangote oil refinery started producing diesel and aviation fuel. The refinery is set to ramp up output in the coming months to its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. This should turn the country into a net exporter of fuels, boding well for the current account balance and public coffers; the government is reportedly operating a covert fuel subsidy.
Projections out to 2033.

46 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 25 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Nigeria in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2033 on 46 economic indicators for Nigeria from a panel of 25 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Nigeria economy. To download a sample report on the Nigeria's economy, click here . To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page .

Nigeria Economic Data

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Population (million) 196 201 206 211 217
GDP (USD bn) 422 475 433 441 478
GDP per capita (USD) 2,157 2,365 2,100 2,087 2,205
GDP (NGN bn) 129,087 145,639 154,252 176,076 202,365
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 12.3 12.8 5.9 14.1 14.9
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 1.9 2.3 -1.9 3.4 3.1
Domestic Demand (ann. var. %) 7.3 1.0 0.3 15.2 -3.2
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 4.6 -1.1 -1.7 25.6 -4.1
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 39.9 8.8 61.6 -34.0 -9.9
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) 9.7 8.3 -14.7 4.7 3.3
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) -0.9 15.0 -33.4 -32.1 69.1
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 49.2 27.3 -61.9 44.4 53.9
Industry (ann. var. %) 1.9 2.3 -5.8 -0.5 -4.6
Oil Production (mn barrels per day, aop) 1.72 1.79 1.58 1.38 1.20
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 5.1 5.2 5.6 5.3 3.8
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -4.3 -4.7 -5.6 -6.0 -5.6
Public Debt (% of GDP) 27.7 29.2 34.5 36.5 39.6
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) 12.1 6.3 31.4 17.5 16.5
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 11.4 12.0 15.8 15.6 21.3
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 12.1 11.4 13.2 17.0 18.8
Monetary Policy Rate (%, eop) 14.00 13.50 11.50 11.50 16.50
Stock Market (ann. var. of NSE %) -18.9 -16.9 39.2 2.3 9.8
Exchange Rate (NGN per USD, eop) 307 307 380 413 449
Exchange Rate (NGN per USD, aop) 306 306 356 399 423
Current Account Balance (USD bn) 7.3 -13.7 -16.0 -3.3 1.0
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) 1.7 -2.9 -3.7 -0.7 0.2
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) 20.5 2.9 -16.4 -4.6 6.0
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 61.2 65.0 35.9 46.9 64.2
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 40.8 62.1 52.3 51.4 58.2
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) 33.6 6.1 -44.7 30.4 37.1
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 24.7 52.4 -15.7 -1.8 13.2
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.8 2.3 2.4 3.3 -0.2
International Reserves (USD bn) 43.1 38.6 35.4 40.5 37.1
International Reserves (months of imports) 12.7 7.5 8.1 9.5 7.6
External Debt (USD bn) 66.6 77.7 82.8 90.9 98.3
External Debt (% of GDP) 15.8 16.3 19.1 20.6 20.6

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