Nigeria’s internet data consumption rose 44 per cent in the 12 months to May, reaching a record 1.5 million terabytes, as consumers and businesses increased their reliance on digital services and data-intensive applications.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission showed monthly data consumption rising from about 1.04 million terabytes in June 2025 to approximately 1.50 million terabytes in May 2026, adding roughly 460,000 terabytes to the volume of data carried across the country’s telecommunications networks.
The increase points to the accelerating demand for connectivity in one of Africa’s largest economies, where internet access has become increasingly important for financial services, commerce, entertainment, communications, education and other economic activities.
The rise in traffic is also placing greater demands on telecommunications infrastructure, requiring operators to expand network capacity and invest in fibre, spectrum, transmission infrastructure, base stations, data centres and other assets needed to support the growing volume of internet traffic.
Consumption did not rise consistently throughout the period, with monthly usage fluctuating before returning to a sustained upward trajectory towards the end of the 12 months.
