Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) was 4.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Bank capital to assets ratio in Nigeria, 2007–2025
Source: Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for bank capital to assets ratio in Nigeria is 4.5%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.5% on the previous year and down 63.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, bank capital to assets ratio in Nigeria peaked at 18.0% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2010.
That places Nigeria 142nd out of 147 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 15.7% | — |
| 2008 | 18.0% | +14.6% |
| 2009 | 4.1% | -77.3% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -63.5% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | +612.4% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 10.4% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | +18.7% |
| 2016 | 11.4% | -8.1% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | -36.8% |
| 2018 | 8.8% | +22.2% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | -9.5% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | -12.8% |
| 2021 | 6.8% | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 5.7% | -15.9% |
| 2023 | 4.2% | -26.1% |
| 2024 | 5.2% | +23.7% |
| 2025 | 4.5% | -12.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 4.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.2%, 50% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 4.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.1%, 50% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Bank capital to assets ratio (%) (Financial Soundness) in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +612.4% | 1.5% | 10.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.6% | 4.1% | 18.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 1.5% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 4.2% | 6.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More financial sector data for Nigeria
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 1.01 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 0.7387 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 1.01 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is bank capital to assets ratio in Nigeria?
- Bank capital to assets ratio in Nigeria was 4.5% in 2025, according to Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest bank capital to assets ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 2008.
- What is the lowest bank capital to assets ratio recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2010.
- How does Nigeria rank for bank capital to assets ratio?
- Nigeria ranks 142nd out of 147 countries with data for 2025.
- Is bank capital to assets ratio rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 63.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Financial Soundness Indicators, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Bank capital to assets ratio (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The indicator is a measure of capital adequacy that evaluates the financial strength of deposit takers by comparing Tier 1 capital to total assets. Tier 1 capital, often referred to as core capital, includes the most stable and readily available forms of capital, such as common equity, disclosed reserves, retained earnings, and certain other instruments that meet regulatory requirements under the Basel framework. This capital is considered the highest quality because it is fully available to cover losses and does not need to be repaid.