Your uncle told you in 2010 that $100 was ₦15,000. You thought he was exaggerating.

He wasn’t. Now that same $100 is ₦153,000. The naira didn’t just fall, it crashed through the floor, broke the foundation, and kept going.

This calculator lets you compare exchange rates across any two years from 1999 to now, and see exactly how much the naira has lost value. It’s educational and depressing at the same time.

How to use it:

Step 1: Select a “From Year” in the first dropdown. Pick any year you’re curious about. Maybe the year you were born? The year you started working? 2015 when things weren’t this bad?

Step 2: Select a “To Year” in the second dropdown. Usually you’ll pick 2025 (current) to see how much things have changed, but you can compare any two years.

Step 3: Enter an amount in USD. The default is $100, but you can put any number. Maybe $1,000 if you’re planning a trip abroad or want to buy something in dollars.

Step 4: Click “Compare Rates”

Understanding the results: Watch Your Money Disappear in Real Time

Top section: Shows the exchange rate in both years side by side with an arrow between them. You’ll see “$1 = ₦X” for each year.

Depreciation banner: That big red number shows you the percentage the naira has fallen. The bigger the number, the worse it got.

Conversion examples: This breaks down your USD amount into naira for both years, then shows you the difference. This is where reality hits different.

Insight box: The calculator gives you context on what the depreciation actually means for real life, things like imports, travel, foreign goods, etc.

Example that will shock you:

From: 1999 To: 2025 Amount: $1,000

1999 rate: $1 = ₦98.01 2025 rate: $1 = ₦1,526.16

Depreciation: +1,457%

What $1,000 got you:

• In 1999: ₦98,010
• In 2025: ₦1,526,160
• Difference: +₦1,428,150

The naira lost over 93% of its value against the dollar in 26 years. Your money became 15 times weaker. This is why your parents’ stories about “when $1 was ₦100” aren’t just nostalgia, they’re economic history.

Why this matters:

If you’re saving in naira but your goals involve anything dollar-denominated (studying abroad, international travel, buying tech, importing goods), you’re losing money just by waiting.

That laptop that costs $1,000? In 2010 it would have cost you ₦151,000. Today it costs ₦1,526,000. Same laptop. Same $1,000 price. But you pay 10 times more in naira.

Real scenarios:

Planning to study abroad? Check the rate from when you started saving vs now. If you started in 2015 targeting ₦5 million for school fees and you finally saved it by 2025, bad news. The tuition that was $25,000 in 2015 (₦4.9 million) is now the same $25,000 but costs ₦38 million. You’re ₦33 million short.

Buying from abroad? That iPhone you want is $1,200. In 2020, it would have cost you ₦433,584. Today it costs ₦1,831,392. Over ₦1.3 million more for the same phone.

The rare good news:

Try comparing some years in the 2000s. Like 2008 to 2007. You’ll see the naira actually appreciated by 6.4%. It’s rare, but it has happened. The calculator shows both scenarios, depreciation and appreciation.

What to do with this info:

Stop thinking your naira savings are “safe.” If you’re holding money you’ll need in the future for anything international, inflation and depreciation are double teaming your wallet.

Consider keeping some savings in dollar assets if possible (domiciliary accounts, dollar investments, etc.). Or invest in things that hold value better than cash.

And next time someone says “the economy is tough,” show them this calculator. It’s not just tough, it’s mathematically destroying purchasing power year after year.