Nigeria’s import of goods from Europe declined by N5.36tn in 2025, as the country’s trade shifts from traditional European partners towards Asia and the Americas, data from the National Bureau of Statistics’ foreign trade report has shown.
The NBS figures show that imports from Europe fell from N22.80tn in 2024 to N17.44tn in 2025, a sharp contraction that significantly altered Nigeria’s import composition despite an overall increase in total imports.
Europe’s share of Nigeria’s total imports dropped steeply from 37.63 per cent in 2024 to 25.90 per cent in 2025, indicating that the region is losing its dominance as a major source of imported goods into the country.
This decline comes even as Nigeria’s total imports rose by N6.76tn year-on-year to N67.35tn in 2025, suggesting that the country is not importing less, but sourcing more goods from alternative regions.
A closer look at European trade flows shows uneven performance across key partners. Imports from Germany were largely unchanged, dipping slightly by N4.32bn to N1.26tn.
However, the United Kingdom recorded a strong increase of N794.77bn to N1.83tn, while the Netherlands saw imports surge by N1.04tn to N3.35tn. Italy also posted a significant rise of N884.79bn to N1.83tn.
Despite these gains, they were outweighed by sharp declines from other major European suppliers. Imports from France fell by N760.08bn to N895.80bn, while Spain dropped by N414.17bn to N1.05tn, contributing to the overall contraction in European imports.
In contrast, Asia not only consolidated its position as Nigeria’s largest import partner but also widened the gap significantly. Imports from the region rose from N29.13tn in 2024 to N34.90tn in 2025, reflecting an increase of N5.77tn.
This growth pushed Asia’s share of Nigeria’s total imports from 48.08 per cent to 51.82 per cent, meaning that more than half of all goods imported into Nigeria now originate from Asian markets.
The shift is even more pronounced when compared directly with Europe. While the gap between Asia and Europe stood at N6.33tn in 2024, it widened dramatically to N17.45tn in 2025, highlighting the speed at which Nigeria is pivoting its trade flows.
China remains the dominant driver of this transition. Imports from China surged by N5.64tn to N19.79tn in 2025, accounting for nearly the entire increase in Asia’s total export to Nigeria. This means China alone contributed about 83 per cent of the total growth in imports from Asia during the period.
Imports from India also rose by N415.81bn to N6.59tn, while Japan recorded a modest increase of N122.33bn to N580.48bn. However, imports from other Asian countries declined slightly by N412.17bn to N7.93tn, suggesting that Nigeria’s growing dependence is concentrated in a few major Asian economies, particularly China and India.
The data indicate that Nigeria’s import structure is increasingly tilted towards Asia, driven by large-scale inflows of manufactured goods, machinery, electronics, and intermediate inputs that are typically sourced from Asian industrial hubs.
Further reinforcing this shift, imports from the Americas also recorded strong growth, rising by N5.60tn to N11.87tn in 2025. The region’s share of Nigeria’s imports increased from 10.35 per cent to 17.62 per cent, further reducing Europe’s relative importance.
The United States accounted for the bulk of this increase, with imports rising by N4.38tn to N8.45tn. Brazil and Canada also posted gains, reflecting Nigeria’s expanding sourcing of commodities and industrial inputs from the Americas.
Meanwhile, Africa’s contribution remained relatively small but grew moderately, with imports increasing by N699.82bn to N2.86tn. Its share edged up slightly from 3.56 per cent to 4.24 per cent.
Overall, the data point to a structural realignment in Nigeria’s trade patterns. Europe’s declining share, despite increases from select countries, contrasts sharply with Asia’s expanding dominance, particularly driven by China’s rising export volumes to Nigeria.
The widening gap between Asia and Europe suggests that Nigeria is gradually reducing its reliance on European goods, replacing them with imports from Asia, a shift that could have long-term implications for trade partnerships, currency flows, and industrial supply chains.
The Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, said Asia’s dominance, especially China’s, was expected given global trade patterns. He described China as “Nigeria’s biggest import partner”, adding that the Asian powerhouse accounts for a major share of Nigeria’s raw material imports.
Yusuf said, “Asia is Nigeria’s leading trade partner. China is Nigeria’s biggest import partner. The China factor alone is enough to explain this. A lot of imports come from China and India, especially chemicals and plastics used by manufacturers.”
He explained that Nigerian industries relied heavily on imported inputs such as chemicals, plastic polymers, and polypropylene, which are cheaper to source from Asian markets.
“Our manufacturers import large volumes of chemical and allied raw materials,” the CPPE chief said. “Most of them come from Asia because the region offers a clear price advantage over Europe.”
Yusuf acknowledged that such dependency poses a “concentration risk” but stressed that businesses often prioritise cost efficiency over diversification. “It’s not ideal to rely too much on one source,” he said. “But these are business decisions. Firms will always buy from where they get the best deal.”
He noted that China’s efficiency and competitive pricing have made it the preferred supplier for Nigerian industries, adding, “As long as China remains reliable, businesses will stick with them. The best approach is to manage concentration risk and build alternative supply channels as backup.”
A former Vice President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, John Aluya, earlier told The PUNCH that the trend of Asian dominance is not unique to Nigeria, as China has become the global hub for raw material production and supply.
Aluya explained, “China today is the manufacturing hub of the world. Every region relies on China for most basic raw materials. Once you say Asia, you’re essentially talking about China, because China alone accounts for over 90 per cent of Asia’s raw material output.”
He explained that the high import share from Asia was inevitable, as even developed nations depend on China’s production capacity. “Even America imports more from China than from anywhere else,” he said.
Aluya linked Nigeria’s reliance to its weak extraction and processing infrastructure, stressing, “We have raw materials, but our extraction and processing systems are poor. Until we fix that, we will continue importing from China.”
However, the Group Managing Director of GMD, Cowry Asset Management, Johnson Chukwu, earlier said that a high volume of imports from China means that any disruption in China’s supply chains, like those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, could trigger a new wave of inflation and economic instability in Nigeria.
Chukwu said, “You will observe that China has become so important to this country, and I hope the government finds ways to deal with this because, for me, it’s becoming a threat. So, if there is a shutdown or supply chain disruption in China today, we’re going to have a major inflationary impact on the country.
“So, the government needs to consider that. I know Western countries are already doing a lot of things to diversify their productivity base from China, and they are moving to India and to Vietnam to make sure that after the COVID lockdown, what happened will not happen again.”
The Chinese Consul General in Lagos, Yan Yuqing, recently reaffirmed China’s dedication to strengthening economic and trade ties with Nigeria. “China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years,” Yuqing said.
