Share of imports that come from China in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of imports that come from China was 17.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of imports that come from China in Nigeria, 1948–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of imports that come from china in Nigeria is 17.9%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 22.8% on the previous year and down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Nigeria peaked at 28.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1952.
That places Nigeria 92nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of imports that come from China in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 0.4% | — |
| 1949 | 0.1% | -71.2% |
| 1950 | 0.1% | -42.4% |
| 1951 | 0.1% | +53.3% |
| 1952 | 0.0% | -62.9% |
| 1954 | 0.0% | +4.2% |
| 1955 | 0.2% | +474.7% |
| 1956 | 0.3% | +66.0% |
| 1957 | 0.8% | +130.9% |
| 1962 | 0.9% | +8.1% |
| 1963 | 0.9% | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 1.4% | +64.6% |
| 1965 | 2.1% | +49.3% |
| 1966 | 2.3% | +9.1% |
| 1967 | 3.3% | +44.9% |
| 1968 | 2.4% | -28.9% |
| 1969 | 2.6% | +12.0% |
| 1970 | 2.3% | -13.3% |
| 1971 | 2.2% | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 2.1% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 2.4% | +12.6% |
| 1974 | 2.2% | -10.1% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | -34.8% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +51.5% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -22.1% |
| 1978 | 2.0% | +20.4% |
| 1979 | 3.2% | +57.6% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 2.7% | -13.5% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | -36.1% |
| 1984 | 0.8% | -51.4% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | -6.7% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +60.2% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3.3% | +162.1% |
| 1989 | 3.2% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | +16.9% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | -69.8% |
| 1993 | 1.8% | +62.2% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | +58.4% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -4.5% |
| 1997 | 5.0% | +75.5% |
| 1998 | 5.2% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 5.7% | +9.6% |
| 2000 | 4.4% | -23.2% |
| 2001 | 6.7% | +52.8% |
| 2002 | 8.5% | +27.4% |
| 2003 | 24.4% | +187.5% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 24.5% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 25.0% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 24.7% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 24.5% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 25.0% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 25.2% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 24.5% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 24.5% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 24.5% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 24.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 23.7% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 24.5% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 24.5% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 28.6% | +16.8% |
| 2021 | 24.7% | -13.7% |
| 2022 | 23.8% | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 18.1% | -24.0% |
| 2024 | 23.2% | +28.1% |
| 2025 | 17.9% | -22.8% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 17.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 17.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.0%, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of imports that come from China in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | +474.7% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2003 | +187.5% | 8.5% | 24.4% |
| 1988 | +162.1% | 1.3% | 3.3% |
| 1957 | +130.9% | 0.3% | 0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 7 |
| 1960s | 2.0% | 0.9% | 3.3% | 8 |
| 1970s | 2.2% | 1.4% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 0.8% | 3.3% | 9 |
| 1990s | 3.3% | 1.1% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 4.4% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.6% | 23.7% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.7% | 17.9% | 28.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More economy & growth data for Nigeria
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 22.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.32 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 3.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0148 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 18.13 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.9704 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0108 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 13.24 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -17.26 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of imports that come from china in Nigeria?
- Share of imports that come from china in Nigeria was 17.9% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1952.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Nigeria ranks 92nd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.