NBS: FCT, Lagos, Rivers Contribute Over 70% of Nigeria’s ₦215bn Air-Transport GDP in 2023
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that Nigeria’s air transport sector contributed ₦215.6 billion to the country’s GDP in 2023. Just three regions, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Lagos, and Rivers, accounted for more than 70 per cent of that total output.
Abuja led with ₦69.88 billion (32.4 per cent), followed by Lagos with ₦62.64 billion (29 per cent), and Rivers with ₦22.91 billion (10.6 per cent). The concentration is unsurprising: both Abuja and Lagos host the country’s busiest international airports, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport, handling the bulk of passenger and cargo traffic. Enhanced connectivity, robust infrastructure, and business demand bolster aviation-related economic activity in these hubs.
Rivers state benefits from Port Harcourt International Airport and its role in oil and cargo transport, attracting significant aviation spending. By contrast, most other states lag, with Benue (₦38.54 million), Jigawa (₦53.76 million), and Niger (₦15.09 million) recording the lowest activity, while Abia, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara had no recorded air-transport GDP in 2023.
On May 23, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said the aviation sector now contributes $1.7 billion to Nigeria’s GDP. According to FAAN’s managing director, Olubunmi Kuku, “over 16 million passengers traversed Nigeria’s domestic terminals, while international passenger numbers exceeded 3.5 million.
In October 2024, the NBS reported that the average single-journey air fare surged to ₦126,293.05—a sharp 60 per cent increase year-on-year, highlighting rising travel costs and perhaps deterring broader air-travel uptake. A June 2024 analysis by The Guardian noted that Nigeria continues to build airports across many states such as Zamfara and Abia yet air-passenger traffic remains heavily concentrated: just three airports handled 92 per cent of passenger journeys, underlining why GDP contributions remain clustered in FCT, Lagos, and Rivers.
