Top 10 States With Highest Number of Internet Users in Nigeria

• Nigeria’s internet population, as released by the NBS, shows a significant concentration in a few key states
• Lagos State ranks as the most populous state, with over 17 million users, maintaining a wide margin over other states
• Kano and Ogun States follow behind Lagos, each recording populations above 8 million

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

The National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that internet subscribers in Nigeria declined marginally by 0.62% quarter-on-quarter to 142.05 million as of June 2025, compared to 142.05 million recorded in Q1 2025.

However, on a year-on-year basis, subscriptions increased by 3.42% from 136.49 million recorded in Q2 2024.

NBS disclosed this in its latest telecoms data eport obtained from its website on Saturday, February 14.

Key points from the report

• MTN, Airtel, Glo, and EMTS in the report dominate the market, accounting for the vast majority of mobile internet connections nationwide.
• Edo recorded the highest year-on-year growth rate among major states at 35.24%, followed by Delta at 19.19% and the Federal Capital Territory at 13.33%.
• On a quarterly basis, growth was mixed, with Kano and Ogun posting gains, while Lagos and Kaduna recorded slight declines.
• Fixed broadband and VoIP operators contributed a relatively small fraction of the total subscriptions compared to mobile GSM networks.

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Breakdown of top states by internet subscribers in ascending order.

5. Federal Capital Territory – 6.2 million

The nation’s capital accounted for about 4.4% of total internet subscribers in Q2 2025. Its subscriber base rose by 735,847 year-on-year from 5.52 million in Q2 2024 to 6.26 million, although it declined slightly by 1.03% compared to Q1 2025.

The FCT accounted for 3.44 million MTN subscribers, 1.97 million Airtel, and 0.68 million Glo, supported by 0.14 million VOIP subscriptions and 0.04 million others.

4. Oyo State – 6.28 million

Oyo State recorded 6.29 million internet subscribers, representing roughly 4.4% of the national total. The state posted a modest 0.39% year-on-year increase but experienced a 1.15% quarter-on-quarter decline.

Oyo State had 3.12 million MTN, 2.15 million Airtel, and 0.98 million Glo users, with VOIP and ISP users adding 0.03 million.

3. Ogun State – 8.45 million

Ogun State, an industrial hub bordering Lagos, accounted for about 6.0% of total subscriptions. Its internet subscribers increased by 544,413 year-on-year from 7.91 million in Q2 2024 to 8.46 million in Q2 2025, while also rising 2.37% from Q1 2025.

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Ogun State had 4.45 million MTN, 3.10 million Airtel, and 0.85 million Glo users, with VOIP subscriptions at 0.06 million.

2. Kano State – 8.89 million

Kano recorded 8.90 million subscribers, representing approximately 6.3% of the national total. The state added 382,099 subscribers year-on-year from 8.51 million in Q2 2024 and grew 1.28% compared to Q1 2025.

Kano recorded 4.67 million MTN subscribers, 3.69 million Airtel, and 0.46 million Glo, alongside 0.08 million VOIP users and other connections.

1. Lagos State – 17.5 million

Lagos State maintained its position as Nigeria’s digital capital with 17.59 million internet subscribers, accounting for about 12.4% of total subscriptions nationwide. However, subscriptions declined by 147,354 year-on-year from 17.74 million in Q2 2024 and dipped 0.22% compared to Q1 2025.

In the state, there are 8.22 million MTN, 5.87 million Airtel, 2.96 million Glo, and 0.50 million EMTS users. VOIP and other subscriptions added another 0.05 million.

Other States subscriber base

• Kaduna State – 6.16 million
• Delta State – 5.32 million
• Rivers State – 5.11 million
• Edo State – 4.68 million
• Anambra State – 4.11 million

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NCC issues 6 new licenses to internet providers

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted operating licences to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), a move aimed at expanding competition in Nigeria’s increasingly contested broadband market.

According to data from the NCC’s updated licensing database, the approvals took effect from January 1, 2026, raising the total number of authorised ISPs in the country to 231, up from 225 recorded in December 2025.

Source: Legit.ng