Spotify has marked five years in Nigeria with new data showing strong growth in music and podcast listening, led by Afrobeats and indigenous language tracks.
The streaming service launched in Nigeria in February 2021, and since then, listening has risen year after year. In the early years, growth ran into triple digits, with average growth, led by Afrobeats, at 163.5% in 2025.
Between 2021 and 2025, Afrobeats streams in Nigeria increased by 5,022%.
Other genres also posted strong growth. Amapiano streams rose by 10,330%. Gospel and praise music grew by 5,499%. Hip-hop and rap climbed 3,020%, while R&B increased by 2,602%.
Listening in indigenous Nigerian languages is also increasing.
Within Nigeria, streams of indigenous language music grew by 554% in 2024 and by 87% in 2025. Outside Nigeria, the same category rose by 141% in 2024 and 41% in 2025.
The first song streamed in Nigeria when Spotify launched in 2021 was “到此為止” by Shiga Lin.
Over the past five years, the most-streamed artists in Nigeria on Spotify are Asake, Wizkid, Seyi Vibez, Burna Boy and Davido.
The most-streamed songs during the same period include “Remember” by Asake; “Dealer” by Ayo Maff and Fireboy DML; “Awolowo” by Fido; “Kese (Dance)” by Wizkid; “Lonely At The Top” by Asake; “Joy is Coming” by Fido; “With You (feat. Omah Lay)” by Davido and Omah Lay; “Terminator” by Asake; “MMS” by Asake and Wizkid; and “Doha” by Seyi Vibez.
Spotify says the number of Nigerian artists on the platform has increased by 158% since launch.
User activity has also expanded, with Nigerians having created more than 25 million playlists over the past five years.
In 2025 alone, listeners in Nigeria recorded more than 1.4 million play hours on Spotify. Podcast listening is also growing, with more than 59 billion total podcast hours streamed since launch.
Recent data shows that the average listener in Nigeria streams 150 different artists. The average listener age is 26.
Five years after launch, the figures show steady growth in volume, genre spread and local language listening.
