Nigeria’s air transport sector contributed ₦215.6 billion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, with Abuja, Lagos, and Rivers States accounting for over 70 percent of the sector’s output, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The NBS’ latest state-level aviation GDP data shows that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) led the chart with ₦69.88 billion (32.4 percent), followed by Lagos State with ₦62.64 billion (29 percent), and Rivers State with ₦22.91 billion (10.6 per cent).
Other top contributors include Delta (₦10.27 billion), Imo (₦6.74 billion), Kano (₦7.41 billion), Enugu (₦5.72 billion), Edo (₦5.17 billion), Akwa Ibom (₦4.45 billion), and Borno (₦2.66 billion), together accounting for over 95 percent of the aviation GDP in 2023.
At the bottom of the list were Benue (₦38.54 million), Jigawa (₦53.76 million), Niger (₦15.09 million), Kebbi (₦249.11 million), and Bauchi (₦264.37 million), while states like Abia, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara recorded no aviation GDP activity.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had earlier said that aviation now contributes $1.7 billion to the national economy. FAAN Managing Director Olubunmi Kuku disclosed in May that over 16 million passengers passed through domestic airports in 2023, with international passenger traffic exceeding 3.5 million.
