Nigeria's seasonal spending has experienced a significant upward trend, increasing by 20 percent, particularly during festive periods. Consumer spending insights from Visa, a leading digital payment platform, on the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr period in Nigeria, based on its Consulting & Analytics Retail Spend Monitor, indicate that spending on Visa premium consumer cards rose 20 percent year-over-year, with the spending share increasing by 10 percentage points. This growth reflects higher expenditure on travel, everyday retail, and food-related categories.
Inbound and Outbound Travel Trends
According to Visa, inbound travel spending during Ramadan showed that international visitors using Visa premium consumer cards in Nigeria increased their spending by 40 percent. Spending from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada also rose by 40 percent. For outbound travel, spending from Nigeria on Visa premium consumer cards increased by approximately 20 percent. Booking behavior leaned toward shorter lead times, with 70 percent of trips booked within one month of travel. Spending on destinations including the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and France increased by 40 percent.
Spending Patterns Before and During Ramadan
Visa observed that spending behavior during Ramadan reflected both pre-month stock-up activities and in-month in-store activity. In the week preceding Ramadan (February 12-18), food and grocery spending rose 25 percent compared to the prior week (February 5-11). Spending activity also occurred later in the day, with late-night spending between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. increasing by 35 percent compared to non-Ramadan weeks.
The digital payment platform further reported that spending peaked around Eid al-Fitr, with total spending up 25 percent during the Eid period (March 16-19) compared to the preceding days (March 12-15). During Eid, spending on food and restaurants increased by 80 percent compared to the preceding days.
Expert Commentary
Andrew Uaboi, Vice President and Country Manager for Visa in West Africa, stated: “The Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr period saw higher spending across travel and everyday retail categories, reflecting both inbound visitor activity and sustained local spending. These insights highlight how consumer behavior shifts during key seasonal moments and underscore the opportunity for businesses to respond with more relevant and seamless commerce experiences.”
The VCA Retail Spend Monitor was produced by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), capturing total retail, travel, and experience-related activity during the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr period (February 20 – March 20, 2026), based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods.
Nicolas Khoury, SVP and Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics for CEMEA, said: “The VCA Retail Spend Monitor provides a view of how consumer spending evolves across the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr period, from changes in travel patterns to shifts in everyday spending. These insights help issuers and merchants better understand seasonal behavior and design offers and experiences that remain relevant as consumer needs change.”
