Nigeria’s crude oil exports helped push total trade between Nigeria and the United Kingdom to £7.6bn in 2025, underscoring the continued dominance of energy in their economic ties despite growing calls for export diversification.
New trade and investment figures released by the UK Department for Business and Trade showed that crude oil remained Nigeria’s single largest export to the UK during the period under review.
According to the report released on Wednesday, the UK imported £719.2m worth of crude oil from Nigeria, accounting for nearly half of all goods imported from Africa’s largest oil producer. Britain also purchased £514.3m worth of refined petroleum products and £167.8m worth of gas from Nigeria, highlighting strong demand for Nigerian energy exports amid shifting global supply chains.
The figures revealed that total trade in goods and services between the two countries rose by 10.8 per cent, equivalent to £737m, compared with the previous reporting period, which ended in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Analysts say the latest numbers reinforce Nigeria’s strategic importance to the UK’s energy security and broader trade ambitions, particularly at a time when European economies are seeking to diversify their energy sources amid global market disruptions and geopolitical tensions that affect energy flows.
