Capital inflows into Nigeria skyrocketed in 2025, rising 88.5 percent year-on-year to $23.21 billion from $12.31 billion in 2024, according to the latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Data analysis from the NBS Capital Importation Report shows that the country received $5.64 billion in the first quarter of 2025. Capital inflows dipped slightly by 9.2 percent in Q2 to $5.12 billion but rebounded in Q3, climbing 17.4 percent to $6.01 billion. The upward trend continued into Q4, with total capital importation reaching $6.44 billion, a 26.61 percent increase from $5.09 billion in the same period of 2024.
Portfolio investment dominated the inflows, accounting for $5.49 billion or 85.14 percent of total capital, followed by Other Investments at $599.65 million (9.31 percent) and Foreign Direct Investment at $357.8 million (5.55 percent).
The Banking sector received the largest share of capital inflows, totaling $3.85 billion or 59.75 percent of Q4’25 inflows. The Financing sector followed with $1.94 billion (30.15 percent), while the Production/Manufacturing sector recorded $308.93 million (4.79 percent).
Geographically, the United Kingdom remained the largest source of capital, contributing $3.73 billion (57.94 percent), followed by the United States with $837.91 million (13 percent) and South Africa with $516.96 million (8.02 percent).
The strong inflows underscore growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s financial markets, particularly the banking sector, and suggest a positive outlook for economic growth in 2026.
