Net foreign assets in Nigeria
Nigeria: Net foreign assets was 3.79 trillion current LCU in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Net foreign assets in Nigeria, 1960–2022
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 3.79 trillion current LCU for net foreign assets in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 59.3% on the previous year and down 56.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net foreign assets in Nigeria peaked at 11.84 trillion current LCU in 2018 and was at its lowest, -4.36 billion current LCU, in 1994.
Nigeria ranks 36th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
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 | 7.35 trillion current LCU | 3.79 trillion current LCU | 9.31 trillion current LCU | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More financial sector data for Nigeria
- Domestic credit to private sector by banks 13.1% (2023)
- Total reserves in months of imports 7.12 (2025)
- Net domestic credit 66.12 trillion current LCU (2022)
- Monetary Sector credit to private sector 9.6% (2022)
- Broad money 25.1% (2023)
- Claims on central government, etc. 8.6% (2022)
- Domestic credit to private sector 9.6% (2022)
- Official exchange rate 1,518 LCU per US$, period average (2025)
- Net migration -15,258 (2025)
- Claims on central government 22.2% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is net foreign assets in Nigeria?
- Net foreign assets in Nigeria was 3.79 trillion current LCU in 2022, 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 11.84 trillion current LCU in 2018.
- 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 36th out of 186 countries with data for 2022.
- Is net foreign assets rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.6%. 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.
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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.