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Daniel Adaji
Nigeria reached a major milestone in its digital journey in early 2025, recording 150m active cellular mobile connections, according to DataReportal’s State of Digital report obtained by Pointblank News on Sunday.
This figure represents 64.0 per cent of the country’s total population, which stood at 235 million in January 2025. However, experts caution that this number does not reflect the number of unique users.
“Many people make use of more than one mobile connection,” the report stated, noting that individuals often maintain separate lines for work and personal use. The growing adoption of eSIMs has further simplified multiple SIM ownership.
Despite hitting 150 million connections, Nigeria saw a significant drop of 56 million connections — a 27.2 per cent decrease — between the start of 2024 and early 2025. This decline suggests a consolidation in user behaviour, changes in reporting methods, or the deactivation of inactive lines.
Broadband connectivity now accounts for 94.4 per cent of all mobile connections, indicating that the majority operate on 3G, 4G, or 5G networks.
However, the report cautioned that broadband access should not be seen as a proxy for mobile internet use, as not all connections include data access.
The report also provided insight into internet use in Nigeria. As of January 2025, 107 million Nigerians were online, representing 45.4 per cent of the population.
This marks a year-on-year increase of 2 million users, or 1.9 per cent. Still, an estimated 128 million people remain offline, highlighting the country’s significant digital divide.
“These headline stats offer a great overview of the ‘state of digital’ in Nigeria at the start of 2025, but we need to dig deeper into the data,” the report urged.
Social media adoption is also on the rise, with 38.7 million active social media user identities recorded in January 2025 — equivalent to 16.4 per cent of the population.
Nigeria’s youthful population continues to shape its digital trends. With a median age of 18.1 and more than half of the population under 18, the country holds significant potential for future digital expansion.
New data also sheds light on how Nigerians engage with major social platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Messenger, and Snapchat.
X recorded 7.57 million users in Nigeria in early 2025, representing 3.2 per cent of the total population and 5.0 per cent of those aged 13 and above. Among adults aged 18 and older, X reached 6.0 per cent, while 7.1 per cent of internet users were accessible via its advertising tools.
The gender distribution of X’s ad audience showed 74.3 per cent male and 25.7 per cent female. However, these figures are inferred from user activity and profile names, and may not accurately reflect actual gender identity — especially in non-English-speaking regions or among non-human accounts like bots and brands.
X’s ad reach increased by 1.83 million users between January 2024 and January 2025 — a 31.8 per cent rise. However, it experienced a 2.7 per cent drop between October 2024 and January 2025, possibly due to fluctuations in platform metrics.
Messenger had 5.65 million users in Nigeria, equal to 2.4 per cent of the population and 3.7 per cent of those aged 13 and above. Among adults, 4.6 per cent used the platform, with a total reach of 5.3 per cent among internet users. Self-reported data showed a gender distribution of 58.9 per cent male and 41.1 per cent female.
Messenger’s ad reach declined by 10.3 per cent over the year but increased by 7.6 per cent between October 2024 and January 2025.
Snapchat posted strong numbers, with 19.6 million users in Nigeria in early 2025 — representing 8.3 per cent of the population and 12.9 per cent of those aged 13 and over. Among adults aged 18 and above, 14.4 per cent used the platform. Overall, Snapchat reached 18.3 per cent of the internet user base.
Snapchat’s gender breakdown showed 52.0 per cent male and 46.2 per cent female, with a portion of users classified as “unknown.”
The platform’s ad reach increased by 4.49 million users between January 2024 and January 2025 — a 29.7 per cent growth. It also saw an 11.0 per cent increase — or 1.95 million additional users — between October 2024 and January 2025.
While these figures highlight trends in Nigeria’s digital space, the report stressed that advertising reach does not equate to monthly active users and should be interpreted with caution