Digitnomics 
By Odiri Uchenunu,
Nigerians spent an average of N22,400 on mobile data in the first quarter of 2026 as rising internet consumption and higher telecom tariffs pushed the country’s digital economy to new levels, according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The figures showed that internet users consumed a combined 4.06 million terabytes of data between January and March 2026, equivalent to more than four billion gigabytes. With an estimated average price of about N800 per gigabyte, total consumer spending on mobile internet reached roughly N3.33 trillion during the quarter.
Based on subscriber numbers released by the regulator, the average Nigerian internet user consumed about 27.9 gigabytes during the three-month period, translating to around N22,400 spent on data, or nearly N7,500 monthly.
The development highlights the growing role of mobile internet in everyday life as Nigerians increasingly rely on digital platforms for entertainment, communication, banking, shopping, education, and remote work.
The surge reflects how smartphones and mobile broadband have become central to economic and social activities across the country, despite concerns over rising living costs and pressure on household incomes.
January opened strongly with about 1.385 million terabytes consumed by 151.56 million internet subscribers. Spending for the month was estimated at N1.13 trillion, while average usage stood at 9.6GB per subscriber.
Consumption slowed slightly in February, traditionally viewed as a post-holiday adjustment period. Nigerians used about 1.26 million terabytes of data during the month, generating roughly N1.03 trillion in spending. Average usage dropped to 8.6GB per subscriber.
However, March recorded the highest monthly usage ever seen in the country. Data consumption rose sharply to about 1.42 million terabytes among 153.82 million subscribers, pushing estimated spending to N1.14 trillion. Average consumption climbed to 9.7GB per user.
The Q1 2026 spending level represents an increase of roughly 40 percent compared with the estimated N2.37 trillion recorded in the same period of 2025, underlining the rapid expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The country also maintained its position as Africa’s largest internet and mobile data market in absolute terms, outperforming major telecom markets such as South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Ghana in overall consumer data spending.
While countries such as South Africa generate higher average revenue per user and enjoy more advanced telecom infrastructure, Nigeria’s large population and subscriber base of more than 150 million continue to give it a significant scale advantage.
According to the NCC, the average 27.9GB quarterly consumption is equivalent to streaming around 14,000 high-quality songs, making about 5,600 Zoom video calls, watching 56 hours of HD Netflix content, or browsing roughly 28,000 web pages.
Analysts linked the sustained growth to rising smartphone penetration, urbanisation, expansion of fintech services, video streaming demand, social media activity, and wider adoption of digital services by businesses and consumers.
Telecom operators have continued expanding network infrastructure to meet rising demand, though users still complain about congestion, poor quality of service, and rapid data depletion in some parts of the country.
The strong performance in the first quarter suggests Nigeria’s internet economy is becoming more mature and deeply integrated into daily economic activity. However, experts said sustaining growth through the rest of 2026 will depend on continued investments in broadband infrastructure, stable pricing, improved power supply, and consumers’ ability to absorb rising telecom costs.
