U.S. swings to a $576m trade surplus with Nigeria in H1 2025 as exports surge and imports dip.
The United States posted a $576 million trade surplus with Nigeria in the first half of 2025, reversing a $779 million deficit recorded a year earlier.
Fresh data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis show that U.S. exports to Nigeria surged 41% to $3.34 billion in H1 2025, up from $2.36 billion in the same period last year. Imports fell 12% to $2.76 billion from $3.14 billion.
June alone saw a sharp swing, with exports nearly tripling to $919 million, while imports rose 29% to $639 million, flipping the monthly balance from a $182 million deficit to a $280 million surplus.
Analysts attribute the shift to Nigeria’s growing reliance on U.S. manufactured goods such as machinery, vehicles, and pharmaceuticals, amid forex shortages impacting local production.
Despite Nigeria’s reversal, the U.S. still ran a $3.69 billion overall trade deficit with Africa in H1 2025.