Foreign direct investment accounted for less than four per cent of total capital imported into Nigeria in 2025, despite a significant increase in overall foreign inflows, data from the National Bureau of Statistics has shown.
The data indicated that total capital importation rose to $23.22bn in 2025 from $12.32bn recorded in 2024, reflecting a strong rise in foreign inflows during the year.
However, FDI contributed only $923.01m, representing 3.97 per cent of the total. This compares with $674.71m recorded in 2024, when FDI accounted for 5.48 per cent of total inflows, showing that although FDI grew by $248.30m year-on-year, its share declined as other investment categories expanded at a faster pace.
Further analysis showed that portfolio investment remained the dominant driver of capital importation in 2025, rising to $19.74bn from $8.38bn in 2024. This accounted for 85.03 per cent of total inflows, compared with 68.00 per cent in the previous year.
