The United States spent $578.78 million on crude oil imports from Nigeria in the first quarter of 2026, down from $681.40 million in the same period of 2025, according to data from the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The latest figures, contained in the agencies’ March 2026 international trade report, show that the value of US imports of Nigerian crude oil on a Cost, Insurance and Freight basis stood at $578.78 million year-to-date, down by $102.62 million or 15.06 per cent from the $681.40 million recorded in the same period of 2025.
A breakdown of the data shows that the US imported 7.84 million barrels of crude oil from Nigeria in the first three months of 2026, compared to 8.44 million barrels in the same period of 2025, a decline of 0.59 million barrels or 7.03 per cent year-on-year.
On a monthly basis, US imports from Nigeria dropped sharply between February and March 2026, from 4.64 million barrels in February to 1.54 million barrels in March, indicating weaker short-term demand or supply adjustments.
Within Africa, Nigeria’s share of total US crude imports from the continent dropped to about 34.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, from roughly 61.7 per cent in the same period of 2025, highlighting increased competition from other suppliers such as Libya and Ghana.
Despite the year-on-year decline, Nigeria’s crude still accounted for a notable share of US oil imports, reflecting the continued relevance of its light sweet crude grades in the American refining system.
Data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited showed that crude oil sales dropped sharply to 17.37 million barrels in March, down from 22.85 million barrels in February and 25.75 million barrels in January, suggesting that evacuation and logistics challenges persist. NNPC acknowledged that pipeline disruptions significantly impacted output during the period, but noted that it continues to strengthen production resilience by executing restoration plans.
