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History Made: Burna Boy Overtakes Wizkid With Africa’s Highest-Grossing, Record-Breaking World Tour
Nigerian superstar Burna Boy has once again cemented his place at the summit of African music, delivering a historic feat that fully lives up to his self-styled title, African Giant.
His “I Told Them…” World Tour has officially grossed $30.5 million USD, selling 302,801 tickets across 22 shows, according to Touring Data.
With this achievement, Burna Boy now holds the record for the highest-grossing African tour in history based on reported box-office figures, surpassing the estimated $25 million generated by Wizkid’s Made in Lagos tour.
Spanning North America and Europe, the tour doubled as a cultural statement. Launched in support of his 2023 album I Told Them…, the run blended Afrobeat rhythms, reggae undertones, and hip-hop flair into performances that consistently delivered both spectacle and substance.
Burna Boy breaks the record for the Highest Grossing Concert by an African Artist with $6.147 million from 58,973 tickets at London Stadium in 2024. pic.twitter.com/EKT0mu1XlV
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) December 29, 2025
Fans were treated to explosive renditions of hits like “City Boys” and “Big 7,” performed with a raw intensity that kept arenas on their feet night after night.
Beyond the numbers, the tour marked a defining moment for African music on the global stage. Each sold-out venue served as proof that African artistry now commands not just attention but economic power at the highest level of the live-music industry.
Born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu in Port Harcourt, Burna Boy’s ascent has been years in the making. From winning a Grammy in 2021 for Twice As Tall to becoming the first African artist to sell out Madison Square Garden in 2022, his career has been a steady climb.
Still, I Told Them… feels like the culmination of over a decade of relentless growth. Early figures placed the tour at around $15 million midway through, but massive stadium dates in cities like London and Paris sent the totals soaring.
By December 2025, the tour had pulled decisively ahead of all competitors, highlighted by a landmark night at London Stadium on June 29, 2024, where nearly 59,000 fans helped generate a staggering $6.15 million USD in a single show — the highest-grossing concert ever by an African artist.
.@burnaboy earned his highest-grossing concert of all time on June 29, 2024, with $6.147 million at London Stadium in London as part of the “I Told Them… Tour”.
— Touring Data (@touringdata) December 29, 2025
Along the way, Burna Boy shattered multiple records:
- He became the highest-grossing Afrobeats touring artist with $30.46 million USD from 22 reported shows.
- He set the record for the highest-grossing single-night concert by an African artist at London Stadium.
- He broke his own U.S. arena record, grossing $1.725 million USD at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena.
- He achieved the highest average ticket price for an African artist at $172.76 USD during his Hard Rock Live performance in Hollywood.
- He sold out major Canadian venues multiple times, earning $5.7 million USD from six shows.
- He became the first African artist to sell out stadiums in the UK, the US, and France.
At a time when streaming revenues remain uneven for many artists, Burna Boy’s success reinforces the power of live performances as the backbone of global stardom.
His blend of authenticity, ambition, and strategic touring may well become the blueprint for the next generation of African superstars.