Nigerian Podcast Index Reveals 329 Active Shows, 73% Publishing Regularly

The Nigerian Podcast Index has catalogued 329 podcast titles, marking the first comprehensive snapshot of the country’s growing audio landscape. The data shows that 241 publications are actively publishing as of February 2026, with English dominating 91% of the content, while indigenous languages claim a modest but significant 8% share.

The index reveals an industry heavily concentrated on Spotify For Creators, which hosts 195 podcasts, or 59% of all indexed shows. This dependency on a single platform raises questions about sustainability and diversity of distribution as Nigerian audio content seeks a global reach.

Key Statistics

• Total podcasts indexed: 329
• Currently active: 241 (73.3%)
• On hiatus or inactive: 88 (26.7%)
• Language breakdown: English 90.6%, Yoruba 3.6%, Igbo 2.4%, Hausa 2.1%, Other/Mixed 1.3%
• Top platform: Spotify For Creators (59.3%)
• Second platform: Spreaker (7.3%)
• Third platform: Buzzsprout (6.1%)
• Top three genres:
  • Society & Culture: 113 shows
  • Religion & Spirituality/Christianity: 94 shows (combined)
  • Education: 33 shows
  • Business: 32 shows
  • News: 21 shows

Why It Matters

Nigeria’s podcast sector is maturing beyond experimental territory, with nearly three-quarters of shows maintaining active publishing schedules. The industry has moved from proof-of-concept to sustained production, yet the data exposes structural challenges. Platform concentration means a single policy change or pricing adjustment at Spotify could disrupt the majority of Nigerian podcasters. Meanwhile, indigenous language programming remains underdeveloped despite Nigeria’s multilingual population of over 200 million.

The genre distribution reveals listener priorities. Society and culture content leads, followed closely by religion and spirituality, a category that claims nearly 29% of all shows. This suggests podcasting in Nigeria is as much a space for community-building and spiritual engagement as it is for entertainment or news. Business and entrepreneurship content ranks fourth, reflecting Nigeria’s vibrant startup culture and growing interest in financial literacy.

Over 90% of Nigerian podcasts publish in English, leaving indigenous languages severely underrepresented in the digital audio space. Spotify For Creators hosts six out of every ten Nigerian podcasts, creating a platform dependency that limits distribution resilience. Three-quarters of indexed shows publish regularly, demonstrating the Nigerian podcast sector has moved beyond experimentation to consistent content production.

About the Nigerian Podcast Index

The Nigerian Podcast Index is an open-access database tracking podcast titles produced in or focused on Nigeria. It catalogues show metadata including language, genre, platform distribution, and publishing status. The index serves as a research resource for media professionals, advertisers, and industry stakeholders seeking data-driven insights into Nigeria’s audio content ecosystem. 

Tony Onwuchekwa (Tony Doe) is a media consultant, podcast industry analyst, and founder of the Nigerian Podcast Index. He writes and speaks on digital media, podcast infrastructure, and the evolving African creator economy. You can find him on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.