Summary
- Exports
- $64billion
- Imports
- $48.1billion
- Trade balance
- +$15.9billion
Products
What it exports
Crude petroleum (63.5%) and natural gas and LPG (16.9%) together make up 80.3% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (24.1%) and wheat (4.4%) together make up 28.4% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $54.8 billion | $13.5 billion |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $2.5 billion | $38 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $1 billion | $266 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $849 million | $43 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $722 million | $5 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $679 million | $206 million |
| 74 · Copper | $458 million | $48 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $394 million | $40 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $355 million | $573 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $322 million | $73 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $299 million | $184 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $267 million | $73 million |
| 78 · Lead | $116 million | $679 thousand |
| 39 · Plastics | $98 million | $2.4 billion |
| 40 · Rubber | $85 million | $493 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $83 million | $4.8 billion |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $82 million | $750 million |
| 44 · Wood | $81 million | $405 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $63 million | $1 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $62 million | $76 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $57 million | $105 million |
| 70 · Glass | $52 million | $89 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $48 million | $3.1 billion |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $42 million | $66 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $41 million | $37 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $41 million | $281 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $29 million | $498 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $27 million | $370 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $24 million | $550 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $24 million | $603 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $20 million | $510 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $19 million | $401 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $17 million | $796 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $16 million | $384 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $16 million | $399 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $15 million | $393 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $14 million | $10 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $12 million | $449 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $11 million | $3 billion |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $10 million | $136 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $9 million | $186 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $9 million | $19 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $8 million | $471 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $8 million | $1.2 billion |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $8 million | $297 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $7 million | $164 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $6 million | $7 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $6 million | $10 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $5 million | $191 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $5 million | $69 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $5 million | $160 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $4 million | $152 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $3 million | $212 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $3 million | $298 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $3 million | $541 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $2 million | $50 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $2 million | $228 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $2 million | $9 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $2 million | $116 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $2 million | $852 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $2 million | $598 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $2 million | $863 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $1 million | $2.4 billion |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $1 million | $288 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $1 million | $350 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $912 thousand | $240 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $901 thousand | $94 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $776 thousand | $1 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $608 thousand | $120 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $592 thousand | $69 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $463 thousand | $53 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $385 thousand | $106 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $353 thousand | $108 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $339 thousand | $88 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $317 thousand | $4 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $315 thousand | $71 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $299 thousand | $24 million |
| 65 · Hats | $297 thousand | $15 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $256 thousand | $519 million |
| 80 · Tin | $238 thousand | $1 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $204 thousand | $179 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $190 thousand | $43 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $184 thousand | $73 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $170 thousand | $133 million |
| 51 · Wool | $170 thousand | $3 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $166 thousand | $8 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $128 thousand | $27 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $118 thousand | $7 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $40 thousand | $6 million |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $36 thousand | $18 million |
| 50 · Silk | $9 thousand | $3 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $7 thousand | $48 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $5 thousand | $106 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $2 thousand | $2 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $1 thousand | $385 million |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $1 thousand | $8 million |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Spain (10.2% of exports) and its main source is China (29.8% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 6.5 | 10.2% | Sea |
| India | 6.2 | 9.8% | Sea |
| United States | 6 | 9.4% | Sea |
| France | 4.8 | 7.5% | Sea |
| China | 3.6 | 5.6% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 3.3 | 5.1% | Sea |
| Indonesia | 2.6 | 4.1% | Sea |
| South Africa | 2.5 | 4% | Sea |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 2.4 | 3.7% | Sea |
| Italy | 2 | 3.2% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 14.3 | 29.8% | Sea |
| Belgium | 4.5 | 9.4% | Sea |
| United States | 4.3 | 9% | Sea |
| India | 2.7 | 5.6% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 1.7 | 3.4% | Sea |
| United Kingdom | 1.5 | 3.2% | Sea |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.5 | 3.1% | Sea |
| Saudi Arabia | 1.1 | 2.3% | Air |
| Brazil | 1 | 2.2% | Sea |
| Norway | 0.98 | 2% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Nigeria accounted for 0.28% of world exports, compared with 0.26% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 5-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 64
- Imports 48.1
- Balance +15.9
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $13 billion | $4.8 billion | $8.2 billion |
| 1996 | $17.6 billion | $7.1 billion | $10.5 billion |
| 1997 | $18 billion | $7.7 billion | $10.3 billion |
| 1998 | $11.8 billion | $8 billion | $3.8 billion |
| 1999 | $14.8 billion | $7.2 billion | $7.6 billion |
| 2000 | $22.6 billion | $8.9 billion | $13.8 billion |
| 2001 | $22.5 billion | $12 billion | $10.6 billion |
| 2002 | $20.2 billion | $13.9 billion | $6.4 billion |
| 2003 | $27.6 billion | $16.9 billion | $10.6 billion |
| 2004 | $34.8 billion | $15 billion | $19.8 billion |
| 2005 | $46.8 billion | $18.2 billion | $28.5 billion |
| 2006 | $62.8 billion | $30.1 billion | $32.7 billion |
| 2007 | $74.1 billion | $40 billion | $34.1 billion |
| 2008 | $93.7 billion | $48.1 billion | $45.6 billion |
| 2009 | $62.3 billion | $45.7 billion | $16.6 billion |
| 2010 | $96 billion | $53.6 billion | $42.4 billion |
| 2011 | $135.2 billion | $68.8 billion | $66.4 billion |
| 2012 | $130.1 billion | $47.7 billion | $82.4 billion |
| 2013 | $103.7 billion | $53.6 billion | $50.1 billion |
| 2014 | $103.6 billion | $53.5 billion | $50.2 billion |
| 2015 | $59 billion | $41.6 billion | $17.4 billion |
| 2016 | $38.8 billion | $36.2 billion | $2.6 billion |
| 2017 | $50 billion | $38 billion | $12 billion |
| 2018 | $65.1 billion | $45.6 billion | $19.5 billion |
| 2019 | $64.5 billion | $50.7 billion | $13.8 billion |
| 2020 | $43.4 billion | $55.8 billion | -$12.5 billion |
| 2021 | $58.1 billion | $57.3 billion | $801 million |
| 2022 | $71.6 billion | $64.7 billion | $6.9 billion |
| 2023 | $62 billion | $67.4 billion | -$5.4 billion |
| 2024 | $64 billion | $48.1 billion | $15.9 billion |
World rank
Nigeria fell from 46th to 53rd among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 46th in 1995
- 53rd in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 46th |
| 1996 | 43rd |
| 1997 | 45th |
| 1998 | 48th |
| 1999 | 45th |
| 2000 | 45th |
| 2001 | 44th |
| 2002 | 45th |
| 2003 | 44th |
| 2004 | 46th |
| 2005 | 42nd |
| 2006 | 41st |
| 2007 | 39th |
| 2008 | 40th |
| 2009 | 40th |
| 2010 | 34th |
| 2011 | 33rd |
| 2012 | 36th |
| 2013 | 39th |
| 2014 | 38th |
| 2015 | 46th |
| 2016 | 52nd |
| 2017 | 50th |
| 2018 | 48th |
| 2019 | 48th |
| 2020 | 51st |
| 2021 | 53rd |
| 2022 | 51st |
| 2023 | 52nd |
| 2024 | 53rd |
What it sells
Its top export group is still oil, gas and coal: 86% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 4%
- Gems and precious metals 1%
- Copper 1%
- Ships and boats 1%
- Ores and slag 1%
- Oilseeds and grains 1%
- Fertilizers 2%
- Cocoa and chocolate 4%
- Oil, gas and coal 86%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Oil, gas and coal | 92.6% | 85.7% |
| Cocoa and chocolate | 1.7% | 3.9% |
| Fertilizers | 0.22% | 1.6% |
| Oilseeds and grains | 0.06% | 1.3% |
| Ores and slag | 0.09% | 1.1% |
| Ships and boats | 0% | 1.1% |
| Copper | 0.08% | 0.72% |
| Gems and precious metals | 0.05% | 0.62% |
| Other | 5.2% | 4% |
Who it trades with
The United States went from 32% to 9% of Nigeria's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 16%
- United States 9%
- India 8%
- Spain 6%
- France 5%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1.2% | 16% |
| United States | 31.7% | 9.2% |
| India | 5.1% | 8% |
| Spain | 6.4% | 6.3% |
| France | 6.6% | 5% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
- Niger Delta basin (conventional onshore)
- Niger Delta basin (conventional offshore)
- Niger Delta basin (deepwater)
Sources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.