Travel services in Nigeria
Nigeria: Travel services was 12.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Travel services in Nigeria, 1977–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service exports, BoP.
Analysis
In 2025, travel services in Nigeria stood at 12.3%.
That represents a change of up 86.4% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Nigeria peaked at 71.8% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2004.
Nigeria ranks 163rd of 198 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Travel services in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of service exports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 17.4% | — |
| 1978 | 9.2% | -47.2% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | -73.6% |
| 1980 | 6.0% | +148.3% |
| 1981 | 21.0% | +249.3% |
| 1982 | 23.7% | +12.9% |
| 1983 | 27.1% | +14.6% |
| 1984 | 11.1% | -58.9% |
| 1985 | 10.6% | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 71.8% | +574.5% |
| 1987 | 34.4% | -52.0% |
| 1988 | 14.9% | -56.7% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -93.7% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | +171.7% |
| 1991 | 4.4% | +75.0% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -38.2% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | +4.5% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 4.8% | +75.2% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | +44.5% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | -23.7% |
| 1999 | 5.5% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 5.5% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 5.5% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -84.3% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -26.7% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | +381.1% |
| 2006 | 8.0% | +163.6% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | +84.5% |
| 2008 | 25.1% | +70.0% |
| 2009 | 27.1% | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | -31.9% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 23.1% | +25.5% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 27.3% | +21.5% |
| 2015 | 12.8% | -53.1% |
| 2016 | 28.6% | +123.7% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | +77.2% |
| 2018 | 40.7% | -19.6% |
| 2019 | 29.3% | -28.1% |
| 2020 | 7.8% | -73.2% |
| 2021 | 6.4% | -18.3% |
| 2022 | 23.2% | +261.5% |
| 2023 | 15.1% | -34.6% |
| 2024 | 6.6% | -56.5% |
| 2025 | 12.3% | +86.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 12.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36.8%, 33% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 12.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.4%, 31% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +574.5% | 10.6% | 71.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.6% | 2.4% | 17.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | 22.2% | 0.9% | 71.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 2.5% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.6% | 0.6% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.2% | 12.8% | 50.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.9% | 6.4% | 23.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More economy & growth data for Nigeria
- 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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 1.19 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0041 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 5 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 4.01 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 148.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0138 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 16.86 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 13.91 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Nigeria?
- Travel services in Nigeria was 12.3% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 71.8% in 1986.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2004.
- How does Nigeria rank for travel services?
- Nigeria ranks 163rd out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of service exports, BoP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are services provided by residents to non-residents.