Share of female sole proprietors in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of female sole proprietors was 34.7% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of female sole proprietors in Nigeria, 2015–2020
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of sole proprietors.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 34.7% for share of female sole proprietors in 2020.
The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
That places Nigeria 49th out of 78 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of female sole proprietors in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of sole proprietors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 33.9% | — |
| 2016 | 33.6% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 33.5% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 33.0% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 36.1% | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 34.7% | -3.7% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 34.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 32.3%, 1.1× the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 34.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 1.1× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 34.0% | 33.0% | 36.1% | 5 |
| 2020s | 34.7% | 34.7% | 34.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 46 North Macedonia 35.0%
- 47 Albania 35.0% compare
- 48 Togo 34.9% compare
- 50 Mexico 34.4% compare
- 51 Saudi Arabia 34.1% compare
- 52 Croatia 33.8%
More private sector data for Nigeria
- Merchandise trade 33.3% (2025)
- Food imports 11.0% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 46.0% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 41.45 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 6.0% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 3.5% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 55.47 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 233.52 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1907 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 4.03 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female sole proprietors in Nigeria?
- Share of female sole proprietors in Nigeria was 34.7% in 2020, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.0% in 2018.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of female sole proprietors?
- Nigeria ranks 49th out of 78 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of female sole proprietors rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of female sole proprietors is the proportion of female newly registered sole proprietors out of the total number of newly registered sole proprietors in the economy in the calendar year. A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned and managed by a single individual who is indistinguishable from the business and personally liable.