The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that Nigeria’s internet data usage surged to approximately 13.2 million terabytes (TB) in 2025, marking a 35% increase in online traffic, driven by higher demand on both mobile and broadband networks.
Data from the commission shows that national internet traffic has been steadily increasing since the NCC began monitoring monthly usage in January 2023.
Total data consumption rose from 7.27 million TB in 2023 to 9.76 million TB in 2024, a 34.3% year-on-year increase across major operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, T2, and other service providers.
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Between January and November 2025, Nigerians consumed 11.86 million TB of data, up from 8.79 million TB during the same period in 2024—an increase of 34.96%, or 3.07 million TB.
This translates to an average daily usage of over 41,000 TB, placing significant pressure on mobile and broadband infrastructure across the country.
According to figures published on the NCC website, internet traffic across MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, T2, and other providers has consistently grown since 2023.
“In 2023, total data usage in Nigeria was 7.27 million TB. This figure rose to 9.76 million TB in 2024, reflecting a 34.3% year-on-year growth.
“The upward trend has accelerated in 2025, with total consumption projected to surpass 13.2 million TB, representing roughly a 35% increase over 2024,” the report stated.
The data also highlights a clear seasonal pattern, with December consistently recording the highest traffic. In 2024, December usage exceeded November by 94,502 TB, compared to a 67,794 TB increase in 2023. Month-to-month growth for December has averaged 10–11%, largely due to holiday travel, streaming, social media activity, and online shopping.
Broadband penetration reached over 50% in November 2025, a notable milestone, although it still falls short of the 70% target set under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020–2025.
Airtel Nigeria CEO, Dinesh Balsingh, highlighted how rapid urbanisation is driving demand for data services. “Cities like Lagos are expanding at an unprecedented pace, with more people, businesses, and connected devices.
“Data has become the lifeblood of our digital economy, which is why we are investing heavily in 5G and fibre networks to support Nigeria’s digital future,” he said.
However, regulators warn that network infrastructure still faces significant pressure.
Aminu Maida, NCC Executive Vice Chairman, noted that service quality still needs improvement.
“While progress has been made, we are not yet at the level we aspire to. Operators must continue to invest and improve customer experience,” he stated.
For telecom operators and service providers, these figures present both opportunities and challenges. Maintaining growth will require rapid expansion of network capacity, smarter infrastructure planning, and improved system resilience to prevent issues such as vandalism of telecom infrastructure.
