The world’s largest consumer of imported goods, the United States, in the first quarter of 2026, spent $578.78 million on Nigerian crude oil imports.
- The U.S. spent $578.78 million on Nigerian crude oil imports in Q1 2026, marking a 15.06% drop from the same period in 2025.
- U.S. imports of Nigerian crude fell from 8.44 million barrels in Q1 2025 to 7.84 million barrels in Q1 2026, a 7.03% decrease.
- Month-over-month, Nigerian crude imports to the U.S. sharply declined from February to March 2026, both in volume and value.
- Nigeria’s share of total African oil exports to the U.S. dropped from about 61.7% in Q1 2025 to 34.8% in Q1 2026, signaling rising competition, especially from Libya and Ghana.
While there is some significance to the number, the figure represents a 15.06% decline from the same period the preceding year.
In the first quarter of 2025, the U.S. imported $681.40 million worth of crude from the West African state, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Based on the breakdown of the statistics, in the first three months of the current fiscal year, the United States purchased 7.84 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria, as opposed to 8.44 million barrels during the same time in 2025.
This is a 7.03% year-over-year decrease of 0.59 million barrels, as seen in the Punch newspaper.
Further breakdown of the figures shows that between February and March 2026, the United States imports from Nigeria fell dramatically monthly.
Imports decreased from 4.64 million barrels in February 2026 to 1.54 million barrels in March, suggesting less significant short-term changes in supply or demand.
From $345.33 million in February 2026 to $114.49 million in March 2026, Nigerian crude imports’ CIF value similarly decreased month over month.
A similar pattern was seen in the customs value data, which does not include freight and insurance charges.
Nigeria’s crude year-to-date customs value was $561.69 million in 2026, down $102.10 million, or 15.38%, from $663.79 million in 2025.
While broader African exports to the United States experienced a decline, Nigeria maintained its status as a primary source of U.S. crude oil imports from the region.
Also, Nigerian light sweet crude grades remain integral to the American refining infrastructure, consistently representing a significant portion of U.S. energy imports from Africa.
However, the figures show that the total volume of oil imports from Africa rose to $1.66 billion in the first quarter of 2026, compared to $1.10 billion in 2025.
Despite its relevance to the U.S. market, Nigeria’s market share of total African oil imports into the United States decreased from approximately 61.7% in the first quarter of 2025 to 34.8% during the corresponding period in 2026.
This contraction suggests increased competition from other regional suppliers, specifically Libya and Ghana.
According to the Nigerian state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline disruptions significantly impacted output in the period under review.
“The Trans Forcados Pipeline outage, resulting from a leak at the Keremor axis, negatively impacted production volumes, leading to curtailments across several assets from February 20 to March 25, alongside other operational challenges,” the group detailed in its report.
