Nigeria's digital landscape is flourishing. The country has one of the biggest internet economies in Africa. With the continent’s
, Nigeria presents a vast digital audience. Nigeria has one of the best network coverages, as well as good infrastructure for mobile connectivity in Africa.
is around 55 percent and is projected to increase steadily. Estimates from different sources put the number of
in Nigeria at roughly 25 and 40 million. In fact, mobile devices are much more frequently used to
than desktop devices. In 2020, over 84 percent of internet access was recorded on mobile devices, whereas this share was even higher when it came to online
Key players in Nigeria
In 2019, the
B2C index value for e-commerce stood at 53.2 points, the fourth highest in Africa. The B2C E-commerce index measures an economy’s preparedness to support online shopping by taking different indicators into account. Nigeria is among the African countries with the largest
number of online marketplaces. The most
popular marketplace in terms of visitor numbers is by far Jumia. Jumia is based in Lagos and operates in 14 African countries. Other popular online marketplaces in Nigeria are Jiji,
Konga, and Cheki. Konga.com, for instance, recorded some 28.9 million web visitors in 2020, which consisted mostly of a
very young audience. Marketplaces for cars are very popular. Some 14 percent of all online marketplaces present in the country specialized in vehicles.
How to embrace Nigeria's digital potential
According to recent reports, several factors are restraining the digital economy in Nigeria from fully embracing its potential. Broadband coverage in rural areas is still poor and far from the dynamic reality of large urban cities like Lagos. Additionally, there is a lack of adequate equipment to fully use the internet, like computers or mobile devices. In order to develop its digital potential and create millions of jobs, the country needs, among other things, to further invest in infrastructure, improve skills, and implement investment opportunities. Moreover, another aspect which might influence digital shopping in Nigeria, as well as in the rest of Africa, is the low penetration of online payments. Only one percent of men and 0.8 percent of women in Nigeria
own a credit card, while some 6.3 percent
make purchases or pay bills online. However, many digital platforms in Nigeria accept cash as a payment method, known as “
cash-on-delivery”, which is very popular among customers.
Fastest growing e-commerce sectors
Despite the low popularity of credit cards and digital payments,
e-commerce has been declining considerably in Nigeria, especially in 2022. E-spending on furniture decreased by 23.6 percent, whereas the food sector experienced a decline of nearly 16 percent. The
most valuable e-commerce sector in Nigeria was electronics, which achieved 2.4 billion U.S. dollars in consumer spending. Overall, the
number of visitors to online marketplaces grew constantly, exceeding 242 million in 2020. In addition, the
results of different surveys conducted by Statista in 2023 show that Nigerians have a very positive attitude towards online shopping. Clothing, shoes, and bags and accessories were the most
common items purchased online among Nigerian respondents.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
