CHART: Jumia’s Q1 2025 revenue slumped, but orders are growing again
The numbers suggest the e-commerce giant is finally learning to spend smarter and sell better.
Africa’s biggest e-commerce platform, Jumia, is still losing money, but its latest numbers suggest it’s finally learning to spend smarter and sell better.
The company pulled in $36.3 million in revenue in Q1 2025 — a 26% drop from the $48.9 million it made during the same period last year (via Jumia data). The sharp decline came mostly from a collapse in high-margin corporate sales in Egypt, where currency volatility continues to hit hard.
Its gross profit fell even harder, down 36% to $19.9 million, while operating losses more than doubled to $18.7 million, up from $8.3 million in Q1 2024. On paper, it looks brutal. But behind those losses is a story of renewed consumer traction.
Orders climbed 21%, the strongest growth Jumia has seen in two years, and active customers rose 15% year-on-year. That’s a turnaround from Q1 2024, when Jumia was still recovering from a post-COVID slowdown. Nigeria, its largest market, led the rebound with 22% order growth and a 20% jump in gross merchandise value (GMV).
At the same time, Jumia’s pivot away from volatile corporate deals toward a more stable, consumer-driven model also seems to be paying off. Fulfillment costs per order dropped 14% year-on-year, marketing spend fell 17%, and international product sales grew 61%, improving product range and pricing power.
Even JumiaPay, its digital payments arm, held steady, powering 28% of GMV, up from 25% in Q1 2024.
Cash burn, however, remains a concern. The company used $21.2 million in operating cash this quarter, compared to a $4.5 million inflow in Q1 2024. Still, it narrowed its pre-tax loss to $16.5 million, down from $39.6 million, thanks to lower finance costs and fewer currency hits.
Now, Jumia is raising its 2025 guidance. It expects orders to grow 20–25% for the year, and projects a $50–55 million loss before tax, nearly half of last year’s figure. If all goes according to plan, Jumia aims to break even by Q4 2026 and turn a full-year profit by 2027.
So, while the revenue story looks rough, Jumia’s consumer pivot is picking up steam. The question is whether it can scale that momentum before the cash runs too thin.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
