AfriPulse
Nigeria’s digital economy continued to deepen in 2025, with internet usage remaining heavily concentrated in a handful of commercially active and densely populated states.
This is according to an analysis of active internet subscription data across Nigeria released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) complied from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The data shows that the top 10 states by subscriber base recorded a combined 76.41 million active internet subscriptions as of 2025, representing 51.72% of the country’s total active subscriptions of 147.74 million across the 36 states and the FCT.
The growth reflects rising smartphone adoption, expanding 4G network coverage, increased remote work and digital commerce activities, and sustained demand for online services ranging from fintech to entertainment streaming and e-learning.
What the data is saying
The Nigeria internet space reveals that a few economically active states continue to dominate digital adoption, while others are steadily catching up on the back of urbanization, infrastructure expansion, and rising smartphone penetration.
- The top 10 states represent 51.72% of the national total of 147.74 million subscriptions across the 36 states and the FCT.
- This means over half of Nigeria’s internet subscriptions are concentrated in just 10 states, reflecting where economic activities and connectivity investments are most intense.
- The data also show that these leading states grew from a combined 69.28 million subscriptions as of 2024 to 76.41 million as of 2025, translating to a 10.28% year-on-year increase.
- The total active internet subscription across the 36 states and the FCT increased by 6.29% from 138.99 million subscriptions as of 2024 to 147.74 million as of 2025.
Nigeria’s internet subscription base is dominated by Mobile (GSM) operators, which accounted for 147.40 million subscriptions or 99.77% of the national total of 147.74 million, while VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) accounts for a marginal share of total subscriptions.
Top 10 States with Highest Number of Active Internet Subscriptions as of 2025
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10. Anambra— 4.44 million
Anambra recorded 4.44 million active subscriptions as of 2025, compared to 3.91 million as of 2024, representing a 13.50% increase.
The subscription breakdown is as follows:
- MTN: 2.82 million
- Airtel: 1.32 million
- Glo: 277,315
- EMTS: 6,294
- VoIP: 12,715
The state’s strong entrepreneurial culture, expanding SME ecosystem, high mobile phone usage, and growing e-commerce activities continued to support internet adoption.
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10. Anambra— 4.44 million
Research Team
The Research Team at Nairametrics meticulously monitors, gathers, curates, and administers an extensive repository of both macroeconomic and microeconomic data originating from Nigeria and across Africa. Utilizing a variety of presentation formats—including documents, tables, and charts—our analysts disseminate key findings through the Nairametrics platform. Additionally, we regularly release insightful, research-driven articles that offer in-depth analyses of economic trends and indicators.
Source: Nairametrics | Read the Full Story…
