The U.S. exports to Nigeria have risen by 41%, soaring from $2.36 billion in H1 2024 to $3.34 billion in H1 2025
This comes as the U.S. recorded a $576 million trade surplus with Nigeria in the first half of 2025.
The growth in U.S. exports to Nigeria comes after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 15% tariff on imports from Nigeria.
It appears that the tariffs have a major impact as the U.S. recorded a massive swing from a deficit of $779 million in H1 2024 to a trade surplus of $576 million in the first half of 2025.
This was made available in a recent data published by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Analysis of the data showed that U.S. exports to Nigeria have grown while Nigerian exports to the U.S. took a hit.
This swing is more pronounced in the June 2025 figures. According to the data, U.S. exports to Nigeria surged to $919 million, up 196% from $310 million in June 2024.
Consequently, the monthly balance flipped from a $182 million deficit in June 2024 to a $280 million surplus in June 2025.
A review of Nigeria’s performance when compared to other African countries showed diverging outcomes.
Egypt recorded the largest African surplus for the U.S. at $2.73 billion in H1 2025, more than doubling the $1.31 billion surplus in 2024.
U.S. exports to Egypt grew 63% from $2.55 billion to $4.16 billion, while imports rose only 15%, from $1.24 billion to $1.43 billion.
South Africa moved in the opposite direction. U.S deficit with South Africa almost doubled, widening from $3.38 billion in H1 2024 to $6.32 billion in H1 2025. Imports surged by 52%, from $6.24 billion to $9.50 billion, while exports inched up only 11%, from $2.86 billion to $3.18 billion. This imbalance makes South Africa the most challenging African trade partner for the U.S.
