Nigeria’s internet data consumption surged dramatically in 2025, rising by about 35 per cent to a projected full-year total of more than 13.2 million terabytes (TB), according to figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The growth reflects rapidly increasing internet usage across mobile and broadband networks nationwide.
Data obtained from the NCC show that the expansion has been consistent since the Commission began tracking monthly internet traffic in January 2023. Total national data usage climbed from 7.27 million TB in 2023 to 9.76 million TB in 2024, representing a 34.3 per cent year-on-year increase.
The momentum strengthened further in 2025. Between January and November alone, Nigerians consumed 11.86 million TB of data, up from 8.79 million TB in the same period of 2024. This represents an increase of 34.96 per cent, or an additional 3.07 million TB, putting the country on track to exceed 13 million TB by the end of the year. At this rate, daily data consumption now stands at over 41,000 TB, placing sustained pressure on mobile and broadband networks.
Traffic data across major operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, T2 and other internet service providers, show steady growth month after month. A closer examination of usage patterns also reveals strong seasonality, with December consistently recording the highest data traffic. In December 2024, usage exceeded November levels by more than 94,500 TB, while December 2023 saw an increase of nearly 67,800 TB. Month-on-month growth during December has averaged between 10 and 11 per cent, driven largely by holiday travel, increased video streaming, social media activity and online shopping.
Industry stakeholders attribute the sustained growth to several factors, including the increasing affordability of smartphones, broader mobile internet access, the popularity of video-based content, expanding cloud services, remote work tools and the ongoing digitalisation of businesses and public services. Broadband penetration also crossed the 50 per cent mark in November 2025 for the first time, a significant milestone, although still short of the 70 per cent target set under the National Broadband Plan (2020–2025).
Commenting on the trend, telecom analyst Osita Odafi said Nigeria’s rising appetite for digital services has pushed national data consumption to 11.86 million TB as of the end of November 2025, firmly positioning the country to surpass 13 million TB by year-end. He noted that streaming platforms, cloud computing, fintech services and widespread smartphone adoption are reshaping how Nigerians live, work and transact.
Analysts increasingly see data consumption as a barometer of broader economic activity, reflecting how people communicate, learn, conduct business and entertain themselves. Echoing this view, Airtel Nigeria’s chief executive officer, Dinesh Balsingh, said rapid urbanisation is intensifying demand for data, particularly in fast-growing cities such as Lagos.
He described data as “the new oxygen” and said Airtel is investing heavily in 5G and fibre infrastructure to build a scalable network capable of supporting Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
Despite the gains, regulators caution that infrastructure strain remains a concern. Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, acknowledged improvements in network performance but said quality of service still falls short of desired standards. He added that operators are being pushed to accelerate investments while improving customer experience.
For telecom operators and internet service providers, the surge in data traffic presents both an opportunity and an urgent challenge. Sustaining current growth levels will require significant expansion of network capacity, improved resilience and smarter infrastructure planning.
From a policy perspective, analysts argue that further progress depends on faster implementation of the planned 90,000-kilometre national fibre rollout under Project BRIDGE, resolution of right-of-way constraints, reduction of multiple taxation at sub-national levels and improved security to protect telecom infrastructure from vandalism.
If these challenges are effectively addressed, analysts believe Nigeria’s current data boom may be only the beginning of a far-reaching digital transformation rather than its peak.
