The USA swung to a $1.45 billion items commerce surplus with Nigeria within the first ten months of 2025, reversing a deficit place from the identical interval of final 12 months, as a pointy rise in American exports mixed with weaker imports from Nigeria, based on information from the US Census Bureau.
Between January and October 2025, US items exports to Nigeria climbed to $5.94 billion, whereas imports fell to $4.49 billion, leaving a constructive steadiness of $1.45 billion in Washington’s favour.
This contrasted with the $1.367 billion deficit recorded within the corresponding interval of 2024, marking a decisive turnaround in bilateral commerce flows.
What the info reveals
The shift was seen each cumulatively and on a month-to-month foundation. In October 2025 alone, the US posted a $162 million commerce surplus with Nigeria, exporting $532 million price of products and importing $369 million.
This exceeded the $116 million surplus recorded in September, representing a month-on-month enchancment of $46 million, or practically 40%.
The broader surplus, nonetheless, didn’t come from stronger month-to-month export volumes.
Between September and October, US exports to Nigeria declined by $124 million, or 18.9%, whereas imports from Nigeria dropped by a steeper $171 million, or 31.7%.
The sharper contraction in imports widened the US surplus regardless of decrease exports.
12 months-on-year figures spotlight the dimensions of the reversal.
In October 2024, the US ran a $103 million deficit with Nigeria, exporting $295 million and importing $398 million.
By October 2025, this had flipped to a $162 million surplus. Over that interval, US exports rose by $237 million, or 80.3%, whereas imports slipped by $29 million, or 7.3%, pointing to export progress as the primary driver of the turnaround.
On a cumulative foundation, US exports to Nigeria jumped from $3.71 billion within the first ten months of 2024 to $5.94 billion in 2025, a rise of $2.23 billion or 60.2%.
Imports moved in the wrong way, falling from $5.07 billion to $4.49 billion, a decline of $582 million or 11.5%.
Nigeria reshapes US-Africa commerce steadiness
Nigeria’s reversal performed a key position in reshaping US-Africa commerce dynamics.
Whereas the US nonetheless recorded a year-to-date items commerce deficit of $3.74 billion with Africa as a complete, Nigeria emerged as one of many few main economies on the continent the place the US posted a sizeable surplus.
Complete US exports to Africa reached $34.08 billion within the first ten months of 2025, in contrast with imports of $37.82 billion.
Nigeria accounted for $5.94 billion of these exports, about 17.4% of all US items shipped to Africa.
On the import facet, Nigeria provided $4.49 billion price of products, representing roughly 11.9% of complete US imports from the continent.
In October alone, Nigeria made up about 15.6% of US exports to Africa and 12.8% of imports from the area.
Extra notably, Nigeria contributed round 31% of Africa’s complete US commerce surplus for the month.
With out Nigeria’s $1.447 billion year-to-date surplus, the general US commerce deficit with Africa would have widened to roughly $5.18 billion, which means Nigeria offset shut to twenty-eight% of America’s shortfall with the remainder of the continent.
Amongst chosen African companions, solely Egypt delivered a bigger surplus to the US.
Washington recorded a $5.43 billion surplus with Egypt in 2025, exporting $7.88 billion and importing $2.44 billion.
Nigeria ranked second, forward of Algeria and South Africa, each of which remained in deficit positions.
South Africa continued to weigh closely on US-Africa commerce, with a year-to-date deficit of $9.22 billion, as US imports of $14.67 billion far outpaced exports of $5.45 billion.
Algeria posted a $1.09 billion deficit, whereas different African nations mixed had been near steadiness, with a $299 million deficit.
The broader African image additionally improved on a month-to-month foundation. In October 2024, the US recorded a $467 million commerce deficit with Africa.
By October 2025, that place had shifted to a $523 million surplus, a swing of $990 million inside one 12 months.
As with Nigeria, the development was pushed primarily by decreased imports, which fell from $3.48 billion in September to $2.89 billion in October, whereas exports eased barely from $3.59 billion to $3.42 billion.
What it’s best to know
These commerce outcomes unfolded amid renewed protectionist rhetoric and tariff-focused insurance policies beneath US President Donald Trump, which have influenced sourcing selections and world commerce flows.
- Whereas the commerce information don’t immediately attribute Nigeria’s figures to tariffs, the excess coincided with Washington’s implementation of a “reciprocal” tariff regime that raised Nigeria’s tariff charge from 14% to fifteen%.
- The chief order, signed in late July and efficient from August 7, 2025, applies to a variety of non-oil Nigerian exports, whilst crude oil has been largely exempted.
The upper responsibility has launched uncertainty for American importers and seems to have dampened demand for Nigerian non-oil items, reinforcing the import decline that underpinned the US surplus.
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