Bank capital to assets ratio in Nigeria
Nigeria: Bank capital to assets ratio 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 141st out of 146 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 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% |
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
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR), annual growth rate 6.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR), per unit of GDP 0.0966 SDR per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold, foreign exchange (SDR), per capita 118.25 SDR per person (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold (SDR), annual growth rate 6.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserves excluding gold (SDR), per capita 132.23 SDR per person (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) (SDR), annual growth rate 8.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at market value) (SDR), per capita 141.49 SDR per person (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) (SDR), annual growth rate 8.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves (gold at national valuation) (SDR), per capita 141.38 SDR per person (2025)
- Total reserves in months of imports, annual growth rate -1.26 % 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 141st out of 146 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.
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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.