By Seun Ibiyemi
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria recorded a total of 179,642,333 active voice subscribers in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, reflecting continued growth in the country’s telecommunications sector.
According to the NBS Telecoms Data: Active Voice and Internet, Porting and Tariff Information Report released in Abuja on Wednesday, the figure represents an 8.92 per cent increase compared to 164,926,599 subscribers recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
On a quarter-on-quarter basis, active voice subscriptions rose by 3.52 per cent from 173,541,983 recorded in Q3 2025.
The report also showed significant growth in internet usage, with 148,166,926 active internet subscribers recorded in Q4 2025, up from 139,282,108 in Q4 2024—representing a 6.38 per cent year-on-year increase.
Compared to Q3 2025, internet subscriptions also grew by 5.12 per cent from 140,949,570.
A state-by-state breakdown showed that Lagos State led in both voice and internet subscriptions. Lagos recorded 21,575,253 active voice users and 18,597,444 internet subscribers.
It was followed by Kano State with 11,261,625 voice subscribers and 9,166,953 internet users, while Ogun State ranked third with 10,254,588 voice subscribers and 8,881,234 internet users.
At the lower end of the ranking, Bayelsa State recorded the least number of voice subscribers with 1,187,597 and internet subscribers with 1,010,052.
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Ebonyi and Ekiti States also recorded relatively low figures across both categories.
Regionally, the South-West maintained its dominance, recording the highest active voice subscriptions at 49,238,117 and the highest internet subscriptions at 48,347,050.
The South-East recorded the lowest figures in both categories, with 18,332,074 voice subscribers and 17,776,098 internet subscribers.
The report further indicated that MTN Nigeria retained its position as the leading telecommunications operator in terms of subscription share during the period under review.
