Net foreign assets (current LCU) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Net foreign assets (current LCU) was 15.05 trillion current LCU in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
15.05 trillion current LCU
Change on year
up 297.6%
World rank
22nd
of 187 countries
All-time high
15.05 trillion current LCU
in 2023
All-time low
-4.36 billion current LCU
in 1994
Years of data
64
1960–2023
Net foreign assets in Nigeria, 1960–2023
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 15.05 trillion current LCU for net foreign assets in 2023. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 297.6% on the previous year and up 82.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net foreign assets in Nigeria peaked at 15.05 trillion current LCU in 2023 and was at its lowest, -4.36 billion current LCU, in 1994.
Nigeria ranks 22nd of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Net foreign assets (current LCU) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 221.00 million current LCU | — |
| 1961 | 223.60 million current LCU | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 203.50 million current LCU | -9.0% |
| 1963 | 153.57 million current LCU | -24.5% |
| 1964 | 132.17 million current LCU | -13.9% |
| 1965 | 159.67 million current LCU | +20.8% |
| 1966 | 137.70 million current LCU | -13.8% |
| 1967 | 55.20 million current LCU | -59.9% |
| 1968 | 79.61 million current LCU | +44.2% |
| 1969 | 94.21 million current LCU | +18.3% |
| 1970 | 153.61 million current LCU | +63.0% |
| 1971 | 280.03 million current LCU | +82.3% |
| 1972 | 243.66 million current LCU | -13.0% |
| 1973 | 414.14 million current LCU | +70.0% |
| 1974 | 3.50 billion current LCU | +744.7% |
| 1975 | 3.67 billion current LCU | +4.8% |
| 1976 | 3.33 billion current LCU | -9.2% |
| 1977 | 2.89 billion current LCU | -13.2% |
| 1978 | 1.42 billion current LCU | -50.9% |
| 1979 | 3.23 billion current LCU | +127.3% |
| 1980 | 5.61 billion current LCU | +73.7% |
| 1981 | 2.56 billion current LCU | -54.4% |
| 1982 | 1.06 billion current LCU | -58.6% |
| 1983 | 807.63 million current LCU | -23.6% |
| 1984 | 1.42 billion current LCU | +76.2% |
| 1985 | 1.82 billion current LCU | +27.6% |
| 1986 | 4.46 billion current LCU | +145.8% |
| 1987 | 6.86 billion current LCU | +53.8% |
| 1988 | 7.97 billion current LCU | +16.2% |
| 1989 | 18.30 billion current LCU | +129.4% |
| 1990 | 41.32 billion current LCU | +125.8% |
| 1991 | 54.05 billion current LCU | +30.8% |
| 1992 | 9.17 billion current LCU | -83.0% |
| 1993 | 8.58 billion current LCU | -6.4% |
| 1994 | -4.36 billion current LCU | -150.8% |
| 1995 | 61.21 billion current LCU | -1503.4% |
| 1996 | 193.69 billion current LCU | +216.4% |
| 1997 | 189.61 billion current LCU | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 203.23 billion current LCU | +7.2% |
| 1999 | 646.20 billion current LCU | +218.0% |
| 2000 | 1.16 trillion current LCU | +80.3% |
| 2001 | 1.33 trillion current LCU | +13.8% |
| 2002 | 1.26 trillion current LCU | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 1.36 trillion current LCU | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 2.61 trillion current LCU | +92.6% |
| 2005 | 3.87 trillion current LCU | +48.0% |
| 2006 | 6.19 trillion current LCU | +60.1% |
| 2007 | 7.31 trillion current LCU | +18.1% |
| 2008 | 8.60 trillion current LCU | +17.6% |
| 2009 | 7.29 trillion current LCU | -15.2% |
| 2010 | 6.20 trillion current LCU | -15.0% |
| 2011 | 6.64 trillion current LCU | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 8.72 trillion current LCU | +31.2% |
| 2013 | 8.26 trillion current LCU | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 6.74 trillion current LCU | -18.4% |
| 2015 | 5.32 trillion current LCU | -21.1% |
| 2016 | 7.85 trillion current LCU | +47.5% |
| 2017 | 10.98 trillion current LCU | +39.8% |
| 2018 | 11.84 trillion current LCU | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 5.94 trillion current LCU | -49.8% |
| 2020 | 8.96 trillion current LCU | +50.7% |
| 2021 | 9.31 trillion current LCU | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 3.79 trillion current LCU | -59.3% |
| 2023 | 15.05 trillion current LCU | +297.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 15.05 trillion current LCU is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 256.19 billion current LCU, 58.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 15.05 trillion current LCU is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 240.98 billion current LCU, 62.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Net foreign assets (current LCU) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +1503.4% | -4.36 billion current LCU | 61.21 billion current LCU |
| 1974 | +744.7% | 414.14 million current LCU | 3.50 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 146.02 million current LCU | 55.20 million current LCU | 223.60 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.91 billion current LCU | 153.61 million current LCU | 3.67 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.09 billion current LCU | 807.63 million current LCU | 18.30 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 140.27 billion current LCU | -4.36 billion current LCU | 646.20 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.10 trillion current LCU | 1.16 trillion current LCU | 8.60 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.85 trillion current LCU | 5.32 trillion current LCU | 11.84 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.28 trillion current LCU | 3.79 trillion current LCU | 15.05 trillion current LCU | 4 |
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 net foreign assets in Nigeria?
- Net foreign assets in Nigeria was 15.05 trillion current LCU in 2023, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net foreign assets recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 15.05 trillion current LCU in 2023.
- What is the lowest net foreign assets recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was -4.36 billion current LCU in 1994.
- How does Nigeria rank for net foreign assets?
- Nigeria ranks 22nd out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is net foreign assets rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net foreign assets (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.