- 58% of Nigerians in the UK now send between £100 and £500 monthly, with large transfers over £1,000 dropping from 17% to 12%, reflecting financial strain and smarter budgeting.
- 64% of respondents are rate-sensitive, with many adjusting transfer amounts or timing based on pound-to-naira fluctuations to maximize value.
- 54% of Nigerians aged 18–28 send between 10% and 50% of their income home, showing strong cultural commitment despite limited earnings.
Remittances from the UK to Nigeria have long been a critical economic lifeline, but the way money moves between these two countries is changing in ways that reveal deeper truths about financial pressure and cultural obligation.
The World Bank estimates that remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa reached $54 billion in 2023, with Nigeria capturing the largest share.
But aggregate figures don’t tell the full story.
Behind every transfer is a calculation: how much can I afford to send? When is the rate best? Will this be enough?
OhentPay, a leading remittance app, surveyed 655 Nigerians across the UK to understand their remittance behaviour. The findings reveal a community that’s becoming more strategic about when and how they send money, while also shouldering obligations that strain their UK finances.
Key remittance trends from OhentPay’s report
Large transfers over £1,000 have dropped from 17% to 12%
The share of people sending over £1,000 monthly dropped from 17% in 2024 to 12% in 2025. At the same time, 52% now send less than 10% of their income home.
This isn’t because people care less about their families. It’s because they’re learning to survive better in the UK. The cost of living has made it more difficult to fund two households on one salary, and people are making difficult choices.
58% of Nigerians now send between £100 and £500 back home every month. That’s still the bulk of remittance activity, but the big transfers have declined sharply. Smaller, more frequent transfers have become the norm. People are breaking up their support into manageable chunks spread across the month as needs arise.
This shift reflects both financial strain and smarter money management. Smaller transfers are easier to budget for. They don’t create the same immediate financial shock that a £1,000 transfer does. And with apps like OhentPay making transfers faster and cheaper, frequency is no longer a barrier.
Men still send more money home than women, consistent with 2024 data. Whether that’s because men earn more on average, face different cultural expectations, or feel more obligated to provide is harder to say. But the gap persists.
64% are rate-sensitive, actively timing transfers for best value
One of the most revealing findings is how much exchange rates influence remittance behaviour, and it’s more than most people realise.
About 43% of respondents send more money when rates are favorable, with almost half actively adjusting their transfers based on the pound-to-naira rate. Another 21% attempt to time their transfers for the best rates, closely monitoring daily fluctuations and waiting for the optimal moment. Only 23% say rates don’t affect how much they send.
That means 64% of people are rate-sensitive in some way.
This makes perfect sense. If the pound-to-naira rate improves by even 10%, £500 could stretch by a few thousand more in naira. For families back home, that’s the difference between covering all the bills or coming up short.
This also helps explain some of the year-on-year changes. The exchange rate in 2025 was worse than in 2024, with the naira weakening further against the pound. So people might be sending less in pound terms but maintaining roughly the same naira value for their families. On paper, it appears to be a decline. In practice, families back home might be receiving similar amounts.
Gen Z sends between 10% and 50% of their income, the highest of any age group
Among Nigerians aged 18 to 28, 54% send between 10% and 50% of their income back home. That’s the highest percentage of any age group.
These are people fresh out of university, working entry-level jobs, living in shared flats, barely covering their own expenses. And yet, over half are sending a significant portion of their income to Nigeria.
Compare this to Nigerians aged 29 to 60, most of whom now send less than 10% of their income home. At this stage, they’ve established families in the UK, bought homes, and enrolled kids in school. Their financial priorities have shifted, balancing support for family back home with responsibilities closer to home.
They’re still sending money, but the percentage has shrunk because their obligations here have grown. They’ve learned to set boundaries.
Among the oldest group aged 61 to 79, 11% send over 50% of their income back to Nigeria. For some, it’s pension money being redirected. For others, it’s preparation, building something back home for retirement, or supporting other family members.
Bottom line
Remittances from the UK to Nigeria will not disappear. The emotional and cultural ties are too strong. But the model is evolving. People are learning to balance better, to support without self-destruction.
Technology is helping. Cheaper transfer fees, better exchange rates, and faster processing mean every pound goes further. Apps like OhentPay are making it easier to send smaller amounts more frequently, which suits the new normal.
In conclusion, the OhentPay UK–Nigeria Remittance Report 2025 offers a rich insight into how Nigerians earn, send, and spend, providing an inside view of the evolving financial lives of Nigerians as they build stability across two homes.
