Digital Adoption in Nigeria
41.0% internet penetration · EGDI rank 144 of 193
This profile brings together internet use, financial inclusion and UN e-government indicators for Nigeria, with source years shown alongside each figure.
Internet and Connectivity
41.0% of Nigeria's population used the internet in 2024, and the connectivity that does exist is overwhelmingly mobile: fixed broadband stands at just 0.08 subscriptions per 100 people, close to statistically absent as a connection type. Nigeria's own communications regulator, the NCC, paints a more current, higher-resolution picture: 142.6 million active internet subscribers as of October 2025, with Mobile GSM technology carrying 142.0 million of that total, well ahead of fixed wired, fixed wireless, and VoIP combined. MTN and Airtel are the two largest mobile GSM providers by subscriber count.
| Connectivity indicator | Nigeria | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Individuals using the internet | 41.0% | 2024 |
| Mobile cellular subscriptions, per 100 people | 98.5 | 2023 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions, per 100 people | 0.08 | 2024 |
| Active internet subscribers, NCC (millions) | 142.6 | Oct 2025 |
Digital Payments
Financial-inclusion indicators are shown separately from connectivity measures because they describe account ownership or payment use.
| Payments and financial inclusion | Nigeria | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a financial account (Global Findex) | 63.3% | 2024 |
| Adults financially included (EFInA) | 74% | 2023 |
| Electronic payment value processed (NIBSS) | ₦1.07 quadrillion | 2024 |
| Electronic payment volume (NIBSS) | 11.2 billion | 2024 |
| Active bank accounts (NIBSS) | 311.6 million | Dec 2024 |
Digital Government
Nigeria ranked 144 of 193 UN member states in the 2024 E-Government Development Index, with an EGDI score of 0.4815.
| UN E-Government Development Index | Nigeria |
|---|---|
| EGDI score | 0.4815 |
| Global rank | 144 |
| Online Service Index | 0.537 |
| Telecommunication Infrastructure Index | 0.484 |
Nigeria vs. Region and World
This comparison uses internet penetration because it provides a same-source, same-year benchmark for Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the world.
| Indicator | Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use, 2024 | 41.0% | 33.6% | 71.2% |
Key Takeaways
- Fixed broadband is essentially absent at 0.08 per 100 people; nearly all of Nigeria's internet access runs over mobile networks.
- Electronic payment value grew 79.6% in a single year, a pace of change well ahead of the underlying internet-penetration and account-ownership figures.
- Digital government services (Online Service Index 0.537) are outperforming the telecom infrastructure (0.484) that ultimately has to support them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of Nigeria's population uses the internet?
41.0% in 2024, per World Bank data sourced from the International Telecommunication Union.
How dominant is mobile internet access in Nigeria?
Very. The NCC reported 142.6 million active internet subscribers as of October 2025, with Mobile GSM carrying nearly all of them.
How much has electronic payment activity grown in Nigeria?
NIBSS-processed transactions reached 1.07 quadrillion naira in 2024, up 79.6% from 2023.
What is Nigeria's rank in the UN E-Government Development Index?
Nigeria ranked 144 of 193 UN member states in 2024, with an EGDI score of 0.4815.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Account ownership, 2024.
Active internet subscribers by technology. Country-specific supplementary source, more current than the World Bank/ITU series above.
Broader financial-inclusion rate, 2023. Shown separately from the narrower Global Findex account-ownership measure.
NIBSS electronic payment value, volume, and active bank-account figures for 2024, reported by Nairametrics where the underlying NIBSS release was not directly available from the source page checked.
EGDI score, global rank, and Online Service and Telecommunication Infrastructure Index values, direct from the UN's own country page.
Data note: Indicators are shown with their published reference years.