By Seun Ibiyemi
Nigeria’s total public debt stock rose to N159.28 trillion (about 110.97 billion dollars) in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from N153.29 trillion (103.94 billion dollars) recorded in the third quarter, according to the latest report by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The report, titled Nigerian Domestic and Foreign Debt Report for Q4 2025, released in Abuja on Monday, showed that the country’s debt increased by 3.90 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis.
It revealed that external debt stood at N74.43 trillion, while domestic debt amounted to N84.85 trillion within the period under review.
The bureau noted that external debt accounted for 46.73 per cent of total public debt in naira terms, while domestic debt made up 53.37 per cent.
A state-by-state breakdown showed that Lagos State recorded the highest domestic debt at N1.22 trillion, followed by Rivers State with N378.81 billion.
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At the lower end, Jigawa State recorded the least domestic debt at N1.60 billion, while Ondo State followed with N8.42 billion.
In terms of external obligations, Lagos State also topped the list with 1.17 billion dollars, followed by Kaduna State with 684.29 million dollars.
The report further showed that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded the lowest external debt at 26.80 million dollars, followed by Zamfara State with 41.93 million dollars.
The NBS data highlights continued growth in Nigeria’s debt profile amid ongoing fiscal pressures and rising financing needs across federal and sub-national governments
