Nigeria exported crude oil worth $1.34bn to the United States in the first five months of 2025, maintaining the country’s position as America’s leading African oil supplier.
Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis show that the US purchased a total of 17.39 million barrels of Nigerian crude between January and May 2025.
Although energy-related goods like crude were exempted from recent import tariffs introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump, the volume still declined from the 20.4 million barrels valued at $1.52bn recorded during the same period in 2024.
The 12.7 percent year-on-year drop in volume and 11.8% decline in value point to shifting market dynamics and a potential reconfiguration of U.S. oil sourcing strategies, even as Nigeria remained top of the pile among African oil exporters.
In May 2025 alone, Nigerian crude exports to the U.S. stood at 4.2 million barrels, valued at $311m, a fall from $368m in April.
Crude oil continues to form the backbone of the country’s exports to the U.S., accounting for more than 62% of American crude imports from Africa during the review period.
Nigeria’s shipments dwarfed those of Libya, Angola and Ghana, whose combined crude exports to the U.S. amounted to $811m.
Customs and C.I.F. (Cost, Insurance and Freight) data show that Nigeria’s oil exports to the U.S. stood at $1.34bn and $1.38bn, respectively, reinforcing its central role in U.S.–Africa energy trade, even as broader Nigerian exports have struggled under the weight of new U.S. trade rules.
While crude oil flows have remained relatively stable, Nigeria’s overall exports to the U.S. have declined sharply. Total goods imported by the U.S. from Nigeria fell to $2.12bn in the first five months of 2025, compared to $2.65bn in the same period of 2024, a drop of $527m or nearly 20%.
This comes amid a renewed protectionist agenda led by U.S. President Donald Trump, who signed an Executive order on April 2 imposing a flat 10% import tariff on most countries.
Nigeria, singled out for its previous trade surplus, was hit with a higher 14% tariff rate. Although crude oil was spared, the broader tariff regime has dampened U.S. demand for Nigerian non-oil goods, including agricultural produce and manufactured items.
In May 2025, total U.S. imports from Nigeria fell to $400m, down from $517m in May 2024. It was observed that while Nigerian exports to the U.S. have weakened, American exports to Nigeria surged in the same period.
U.S. goods exports to Nigeria rose to $2.42bn between January and May 2025, up from $2.05bn in the corresponding period of 2024, a 17.8% increase. This sharp contrast led to a complete reversal in the trade balance between the two countries.
Nigeria’s status as a top African trading partner of the U.S. appears to be waning. The country accounted for just 10.8% of U.S. imports from Africa, and about 14.8% of exports to the continent during the first five months of 2025, both slightly down from the previous year.
Egypt emerged as the U.S.’s top African export destination, with American exports rising from $1.95bn in the first five months of 2024 to $3.43bn in the same period of 2025 – a staggering 76% increase.
Nigeria’s total trade volume with the U.S. now stands at $4.54bn, lagging behind Egypt and South Africa, and raising concerns about its competitiveness in the evolving U.S.–Africa trade landscape.
