SEASONAL spending in Nigeria has seen a major upward swing in the country, moving up 20 per cent, especially during festive periods.

Consumer spending insights by Visa, leading digital payment platform, on Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period in Nigeria, based on its Consulting & Analytics Retail Spend Monitor, observed that during this period, spending on Visa premium consumer cards increased 20 per cent year-over-year, with spend share up +10 per cent percentage points. This reflected higher spending on travel, everyday retail, and food-related categories.

According to Visa, inbound travel spend during Ramadan showed that spending by international visitors using Visa premium consumer cards in Nigeria increased 40 per cent. Spending from the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada increased 40 per cent.

The insight said outbound travel spend during Ramadan from Nigeria on Visa premium consumer cards increased around 20 per cent. Booking behavior skewed toward shorter lead times, with 70 per cent of trips booked within one month of travel. Spending to destinations including the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and France increased 40 per cent.

Visa observed that spending behavior during Ramadan reflected both pre-month stock-up and in-month in-store activity. In the week preceding Ramadan (Feb 12-18), food and grocery spending rose 25 per cent compared to the prior week (Feb 5-11). Spending activity also occurred later in the day, with late-night spending (1am–4am) up 35 per cent compared to non-Ramadan weeks.

Further, the digital payment platform informed that spending peaked around Eid Al-Fitr, with total spending up 25 per cent during the Eid period (Mar 16-19) compared to the preceding days (12–15 Mar). During Eid, spending on food and restaurants increased 80 per cent compared to the preceding days.

Vice President and Country Manager for Visa in West Africa, Andrew Uaboi, said, “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 (Feb 20 – Mar 20, 2026), based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods.

SVP, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA, Nicolas Khoury, 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.”