Nigeria’s exports to the United States fell by more than 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, new data from a report by the United States Census Bureau has shown.

The decline comes as total US imports from Nigeria stood at $1.118bn in Q1 2025, down from $1.401bn in the same period in 2024.

The trade data, published in the March edition of the US International Trade in Goods and Services report, revealed that the US imported $475m worth of goods from Nigeria in March 2025, a marginal increase from the $449m recorded in March 2024.

However, sharp declines in January and February erased the gains. In February 2025, US imports from Nigeria dropped to $286m from $424m the year before.

Based on year-to-date calculations, the total value of imports fell by $283m, representing a 20.2 per cent contraction year-on-year.

The fall in export value from Nigeria to the US was largely influenced by fluctuations in crude oil shipments, which account for the majority of Nigeria’s exports.

Data from the same report showed that the US imported 3.17 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria in March 2025, a rise from 1.80 million barrels in February.