Spotify has disclosed that users in Nigeria streamed more than 1.4 million hours of music in 2025, highlighting the country’s accelerating adoption of digital audio platforms.
In a statement released to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, the streaming giant also revealed that cumulative podcast listening on its platform has now exceeded 59 billion hours since launch. The data underscores a dramatic transformation in Nigeria’s audio consumption patterns, with streaming activity expanding at an average growth rate of 163.5 percent over the past five years.
A Youth-Driven Digital Audio Market
According to Spotify, the typical Nigerian user on the platform is 26 years old. The company describes the market as youthful, experimental, and highly responsive to diverse audio formats across music and spoken-word content.
Afrobeats continues to dominate domestic streaming, recording a remarkable 5,022 percent increase in streams between 2021 and 2025. Other genres also posted substantial gains. Amapiano experienced a 10,330 percent surge in local streams over the same period. Gospel and Praise rose by 5,499 percent, Hip-hop and Rap by 3,020 percent, while R&B grew by 2,602 percent.
Language diversity has also become a defining feature of listening habits. Indigenous language streaming increased by 554 percent in 2024 and an additional 87 percent in 2025. Globally, indigenous streams grew by 141 percent in 2024 and 41 percent in 2025, reflecting expanding international appetite for African-language content.
Spotify noted that the first track streamed in Nigeria when the service launched locally was “到此為止” by Shiga Lin, illustrating the eclectic tastes of early adopters.
Most Streamed Artistes and Songs
Over the last five years, the most-streamed Nigerian artistes on the platform include Burna Boy, Davido, Asake, Wizkid, and Seyi Vibez. Among the most replayed tracks are Asake’s “Remember” and “Lonely At The Top,” Wizkid’s “Kese (Dance),” Seyi Vibez’s “Doha,” and Davido’s “With You,” featuring Omah Lay.
Spotify further revealed that Nigerian users stream an average of 150 different artistes within a given period, indicating high discovery rates and audience openness to varied musical influences.
Podcast engagement has grown in parallel with music consumption, reinforcing Nigeria’s position as one of Africa’s fastest-expanding digital audio markets.
Monetisation Questions and Industry Outlook
While the growth metrics reflect Nigeria’s expanding cultural influence globally, industry analysts continue to raise concerns about royalty structures, data transparency, and fair revenue distribution for creators.
Experts argue that enhanced access to audience analytics, stronger playlist positioning strategies, and more structured monetisation channels could enable artistes to convert streaming growth into sustainable income streams.
Podcasting, in particular, is seen as a frontier for scalable revenue. Stakeholders are calling for deeper investment in local advertising ecosystems, creator training programmes, and monetisation frameworks that can transform engagement hours into viable professional careers.
Royalties and Global Reach
Previous reports indicate that Nigerian artistes earned over N58 billion in Spotify royalties in 2024, more than double the 2023 figure and five times higher than earnings recorded in 2022.
In 2024 alone, more than 1,900 Nigerian artistes were added to Spotify editorial playlists, marking a 33 percent increase year-on-year. Nigerian music was discovered by first-time listeners more than one billion times.
International exposure for Nigerian artistes has expanded by 49 percent over three years, while domestic streaming consumption rose by 782 percent. Users have collectively created approximately 250 million playlists featuring Nigerian artistes. Spotify’s latest figures reinforce Nigeria’s growing dominance in global music exports and signal continued investment momentum in Africa’s creative economy.
