Nigeria’s merchandise exports to China fell sharply by ₦601.82 billion in the second quarter of 2026, worsening the bilateral trade imbalance despite Beijing’s introduction of zero-tariff access for Nigerian products on May 1.

According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) foreign trade data for Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, Nigeria’s exports to China dropped by 54.30 per cent—sliding from ₦1.108 trillion to ₦506.57 billion.

Over the exact same period, Nigeria’s imports from China surged by ₦955.58 billion (19.26 per cent), rising from ₦4.96 trillion to ₦5.92 trillion. As a result, Nigeria’s merchandise trade deficit with Beijing widened by ₦1.56 trillion, or 40.43 per cent, expanding from ₦3.85 trillion in Q2 2025 to ₦5.41 trillion in Q2 2026.

The figures reveal that for every ₦1 worth of goods Nigeria exported to China in Q2 2026, it imported roughly ₦11.68 worth of Chinese goods—a steep deterioration from the ₦4.48 ratio recorded a year earlier.

China retained its position as Nigeria’s largest source of imports, accounting for 41.02 per cent of the nation’s total ₦14.42 trillion import bill during the quarter, up from 32.45 per cent in Q2 2025.

The downturn in shipments to China stood in stark contrast to Nigeria’s overall trade performance. Total Nigerian exports rose by 18.77 per cent from ₦22.75 trillion to ₦27.02 trillion, while overall exports to Asia increased by 17.55 per cent from ₦7.42 trillion to ₦8.72 trillion.

Consequently, China’s share of Nigeria’s Asian exports dropped by 9.13 percentage points—from 14.93 per cent to 5.81 per cent—while its share of Nigeria’s total global exports fell from 4.87 per cent to 1.87 per cent.

Meanwhile, India consolidated its position as Nigeria’s top Asian export destination, with shipments surging by 65.95 per cent from ₦1.98 trillion to ₦3.29 trillion, confirming that the slump was specific to China rather than a broader Asian trade contraction.

ID