Smartphone penetration in Nigeria has risen to 75 percent, up from 64 percent in 2023, as the use of feature phones continues to decline.
The shift highlights how smartphones are becoming increasingly central to digital access in Nigeria, with mobile devices now serving as gateways to financial services, commerce, entertainment, education, transportation and other digital services.
The figures are contained in the latest Nigeria Smartphone Study, a nationwide analysis of smartphone ownership and digital application usage conducted by KPMG in collaboration with Orange Group Nigeria.
The study surveyed 13,251 respondents across 12 major Nigerian cities.
Nigerians are moving from feature phones to smartphones
The study recorded an 11 percentage-point increase in smartphone penetration between 2023 and 2025.
During the same period, feature phone penetration fell from 36 percent to 28 percent, showing a continued shift towards internet-enabled mobile devices.
The transition is being supported by factors including increasing smartphone affordability, improving connectivity and Nigeria’s young population, according to the report.
As more consumers move to smartphones, activities that previously required physical locations or computers can increasingly be carried out through mobile applications.
This includes accessing financial services, shopping online, consuming digital content, communicating, learning and using productivity tools.
Smartphones are becoming central to Nigeria’s digital economy
The growth in smartphone adoption is happening alongside increasing internet activity in the country.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission cited in the study showed that Nigeria had 157 million internet subscribers as of May 2026, while data consumption exceeded 1.5 million terabytes during the month.
The figures indicate the growing scale of mobile internet use as more Nigerians rely on connected devices to access online services.
For businesses and technology companies, the expanding smartphone user base also creates a larger market for mobile applications and digital services.
The study notes that smartphones have moved beyond their traditional role as communication devices to become tools for economic participation, innovation and enterprise.
But the trend of smartphone adoption is not unique to Nigeria alone. In April, TechMedia Africa reported that smartphone penetration in Kenya surged to 92.9 percent, with nearly 49 million devices now active in the East African country of 53.3 million people.
Smartphone growth does not mean universal digital access
Despite the rise in smartphone penetration, the expansion of smartphone access does not necessarily mean that all Nigerians have the same level of digital connectivity.
The study noted that more than a third of mobile subscribers were still using 2G as of May 2026.
It also identified infrastructure limitations, affordability, gaps in digital literacy and cybersecurity concerns among the factors that could continue to affect digital participation.
This means that while the shift away from feature phones is expanding access to smartphone-based services, the quality and affordability of connectivity will remain important to how Nigerians benefit from the country’s growing digital economy.
With smartphone penetration now at 75 percent, the direction of Nigeria’s mobile market is increasingly clear: more consumers are moving towards internet-enabled devices, while feature phones continue to lose ground.