Islamic finance
Nisab Today in NGN
The live zakat threshold in Nigerian Naira, from today's gold and silver prices (2026-09-27).
Gold nisab by karat in NGN
Nisab is 85 g of pure gold. Jewellery is alloyed, so the weight you need depends on the karat — the local standard in Nigerian Naira is 18K.
| Karat | Purity | Per gram today (NGN) | Grams for nisab |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | 182,929 | 85.1 g |
| 22K | 91.7% | 167,858 | 92.7 g |
| 21K | 87.5% | 160,223 | 97.1 g |
| 18Klocal standard | 75.0% | 137,334 | 113.3 g |
Spot metal value at 2026-09-27; shop prices add making charges and tax. Zakat itself is 2.5% of the value once you are above nisab.
Nisab in Nigeria
The naira is among the most volatile currencies against the dollar, so the NGN nisab can change a great deal over a few months while the underlying gold value does not. Common jewellery is 18K and 21K; convert by purity before comparing. State zakat boards in the north publish local nisab figures that can serve as a cross-check. Nisab is measured in pure gold, and jewellery is never pure: multiply each piece's weight by its karat's purity (0.9167 for 22K, 0.875 for 21K, 0.75 for 18K, 0.585 for 14K) before comparing the total with 85 grams. The karat table above gives today's per-gram value of each karat in your currency for a quick valuation.
The zakat year
The zakat year (hawl) is lunar — about 354 days, not 365. Fixing one Hijri date each year (many people use Ramadan) keeps the calculation consistent; paying on a Gregorian anniversary drifts eleven days later every year.
Common situations for zakat payers in Nigeria
The naira's swings against the dollar mean many Nigerians hold dollars, dollar stablecoins or gold as savings; all are zakatable at their naira market value on the zakat date. Cooperative (ajo/esusu) contributions you are owed are zakatable as a debt owed to you; land held for resale is zakatable, farmland and a family home are not.
Where Nigerians pay zakat
State zakat and endowment boards in the northern states (Kano, Zamfara, Sokoto and others) collect and distribute zakat and publish local nisab figures; in the south, direct payment and organisations such as the Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation are common.
How to use these numbers
If your zakatable wealth in Nigerian Naira — cash in NGN, gold and silver, money owed to you, and business inventory — stays at or above the nisab for one full lunar year, zakat of 2.5% is due. Most scholars recommend checking against the lower silver figure (1,637,474 NGN today) so that zakat reaches more people.
Calculate exactly what you owe with the zakat calculator, value gold by weight and karat with zakat on gold, or see today's gold price in Nigeria.
Nisab in other currencies
Frequently asked questions
What is the nisab in NGN today?+
Using the gold standard (85 g of pure gold), today's nisab is about 15,564,489 NGN. Using the silver standard (595 g) it is about 1,637,474 NGN. Figures refresh daily with metal prices and the NGN exchange rate.
Gold or silver standard — which should I use?+
Most scholars recommend the silver nisab because it is lower — zakat becomes due sooner and more of the poor benefit. The gold standard is also valid.
Why does the nisab in Nigerian Naira change?+
Two moving parts: the global gold/silver price, and the NGN exchange rate. Both update daily, so a nisab figure published months ago can be far off — this page always shows today's value.