Spotify Data: How Gen Z Audience Continues To Drive Podcast Listenership In Nigeria

Today, September 30 is International Podcast Day, and we have seen the podcast landscape continually evolving and gaining traction in Nigeria.

The demographic at the forefront of this transformation is Generation Z (Gen Z). With its accessibility and diversity of content ranging from storytelling to information sharing and entertainment, podcasting has become a popular choice for Gen Z listeners.

According to Spotify’s data, Nigerian Gen Zs aged between 18-24 constitute a sizable segment of podcast listeners, accounting for 50% of the total streams, for the last 90 days. They are followed by listeners aged 25-29, contributing 21% of the streams. In the Sub-Saharan Africa region, Gen Z also tops the listenership rate, with 39% of the total streams coming from them.

The rise of podcast listenership in Nigeria has been exponential in the past couple of years, increasing by 222% between 2021 and 2022. This places Nigeria as the second country consuming podcasts in Africa right after South Africa. Nigeria is followed by Kenya, Ghana and Angola – these five countries make up the top five African Spotify countries with the most podcast listeners.

The spotlight falls on The HonestBunch Podcast, I Said What I Said, Menisms, So Nigerian and Tea with Tay as the top local podcasts in the hearts of Nigerian listeners. Their leading position comes as no surprise, given their widespread popularity among the Gen Z and Millennials. This is attributed to their engaging and entertaining content, their keen awareness of trending subjects and their unfiltered and candid conversations.

On preferred podcast listening times among Nigerians, Spotify data shows that most listeners tune in to podcasts between  7am – 9am, possibly while commuting to work, sitting in traffic or getting ready for the day.

“Gen Z is revolutionising the podcasting landscape, and their appetite for diverse content is shaping the future of audio entertainment in Nigeria. We remain committed to elevating podcasting and amplifying the voice of podcasters in Nigeria and beyond,” says Ncebakazi Manzi, Spotify’s Podcast Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa.

Spotify has made it easier for anyone to create and grow a podcast, through Spotify for Podcasters. It’s a one stop shop to upload or record content, add interactive features like Q&A or polls, all while keeping track of a show’s growth through advanced analytics.

And for the listeners, Spotify is always working to create new ways to make it easier to listen, discover and engage with their favorite podcasts, and are rolling out new tools including auto-generated transcripts, expanding podcasts chapters and updating podcast show pages.

As podcasting continues to evolve, keeping a close eye on Gen Z’s preferences and behaviours will be crucial for all stakeholders in the podcasting ecosystem in Nigeria especially as they lead with 50.9 percent of the total population in the country.