US posts $1.45bn trade surplus with Nigeria as exports surge, imports decline

The United States recorded a $1.45 billion goods trade surplus with Nigeria in the first ten months of 2025, marking a sharp reversal from a deficit position in the same period of 2024, as stronger American exports combined with weaker imports from Nigeria, according to data from the US Census Bureau.

Between January and October 2025, US goods exports to Nigeria rose significantly to $5.94 billion, while imports from Nigeria declined to $4.49 billion, leaving Washington with a positive trade balance of $1.45 billion.

This contrasts sharply with the $1.37 billion deficit recorded during the corresponding period in 2024, highlighting a decisive turnaround in bilateral trade relations.

The shift was evident both cumulatively and on a monthly basis. In October 2025, the US posted a $162 million trade surplus with Nigeria, exporting $532 million worth of goods while importing $369 million. This marked an improvement of nearly 40 percent over the $116 million surplus recorded in September.

Notably, the wider surplus did not stem from rising monthly export volumes alone. Between September and October, US exports to Nigeria declined by $124 million, or 18.9 percent, while imports from Nigeria fell more sharply by $171 million, or 31.7 percent. This steeper contraction in imports played a major role in sustaining the surplus.

A year-on-year comparison further illustrates the scale of the turnaround. In October 2024, the US ran a $103 million trade deficit with Nigeria, exporting $295 million and importing $398 million. By October 2025, this had flipped to a $162 million surplus, driven largely by an 80.3 percent jump in exports, which rose by $237 million, alongside a modest 7.3 percent decline in imports.

On a cumulative basis, US exports to Nigeria surged from $3.71 billion in the first ten months of 2024 to $5.94 billion in 2025—an increase of $2.23 billion, or 60.2 percent. Imports, meanwhile, fell from $5.07 billion to $4.49 billion, a decline of $582 million, or 11.5 percent.

Despite this strong performance with Nigeria, the US continued to record an overall goods trade deficit of $3.74 billion with Africa during the period. Total US exports to the continent stood at $34.08 billion, compared with imports of $37.82 billion.

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Nigeria emerged as one of the few major African economies where the US posted a sizeable surplus. The country accounted for $5.94 billion of US exports to Africa—about 17.4 percent of total shipments—while supplying $4.49 billion worth of goods, or 11.9 percent of US imports from the continent. In October alone, Nigeria represented 15.6 percent of US exports to Africa and 12.8 percent of imports.

More significantly, Nigeria contributed roughly 31 percent of Africa’s total US trade surplus for October. Without Nigeria’s $1.45 billion year-to-date surplus, the overall US trade deficit with Africa would have widened to about $5.18 billion, meaning Nigeria offset nearly 28 percent of America’s trade shortfall with the rest of the continent.

Among selected African trading partners, only Egypt delivered a larger surplus to the US in 2025. Washington recorded a $5.43 billion surplus with Egypt, exporting $7.88 billion and importing $2.44 billion. Nigeria ranked second, ahead of Algeria and South Africa, both of which remained in deficit positions.

South Africa continued to weigh heavily on US-Africa trade, with a $9.22 billion year-to-date deficit, as imports of $14.67 billion far exceeded exports of $5.45 billion. Algeria posted a $1.09 billion deficit, while other African countries combined were close to balance, recording a $299 million deficit.

The broader African trade picture also showed improvement on a monthly basis. In October 2024, the US recorded a $467 million deficit with Africa. By October 2025, this had shifted to a $523 million surplus, representing a $990 million swing within one year.

As with Nigeria, the improvement was driven largely by falling imports, which declined from $3.48 billion in September to $2.89 billion in October, while exports edged down slightly from $3.59 billion to $3.42 billion.