The United States sharply reduced its imports of Nigerian crude oil in January 2026, with volumes dropping by 47.16% month-on-month, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Figures from the U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report show that American imports of Nigerian crude fell to 1.664 million barrels in January from 3.149 million barrels in December 2025 — a decline of 1.485 million barrels within a single month.
In value terms, the contraction was equally significant. The customs value of Nigerian crude imports decreased from $217.36 million in December to $115.99 million in January, while the cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value dropped from $223.10 million to $118.95 million. The narrowing gap between customs and CIF values suggests relatively lower shipping or insurance costs during the period.
The decline occurred against a broader slowdown in total U.S. crude imports, which fell from 198.29 million barrels in December to 188.21 million barrels in January, representing a 5.1% reduction. Overall import value also decreased, with customs value declining from $11.41 billion to $10.56 billion and CIF value from $12.04 billion to $11.15 billion.
Within Africa, Nigeria lost ground to other suppliers. While total African crude exports to the U.S. remained steady at 6.933 million barrels, Angola recorded a strong increase, rising from 575,000 barrels in December to 2.062 million barrels in January. Ghana entered the market as a new supplier with 738,000 barrels, after recording no measurable exports in the previous month. Libya, on the other hand, saw its exports decline from 2.137 million barrels to 1.086 million barrels.
Nigeria’s share of total U.S. crude imports shrank to roughly 0.88% in January from about 1.59% in December, reflecting the steep drop in volumes. Crude oil continued to dominate Nigeria’s exports to the United States, accounting for approximately 63.4% to 65.0% of total imports from Nigeria in January, down from about 73.2% in December.
The U.S. recorded a goods trade surplus of $419 million with Nigeria in January, up from $84 million in December. This was driven by a rise in U.S. exports to Nigeria, which increased from $381 million to $602 million, even as imports from Nigeria declined.
The contraction in Nigerian crude exports to the U.S. adds to concerns about Nigeria’s oil sector performance. Earlier data showed that the country supplied 46.618 million barrels to the U.S. throughout 2025, representing 52% of Africa’s total crude exports to America but marking an 8.2% year-on-year decline from 2024 levels.
Analysts attribute the January drop to a combination of factors, including shifting U.S. sourcing strategies, competition from other African producers, and broader market dynamics influenced by global supply and demand conditions. The development underscores Nigeria’s ongoing challenge to maintain consistent crude export volumes to its traditional markets amid increasing competition and production constraints at home.
