17.9m Nigerians fall into poverty in three years – Report

In the latest report by the United Nations Development Programme and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, Nigeria saw a record increase of 17.9 million people falling into multidimensional poverty between 2021 and 2024. This reversal of recent poverty reduction marked the largest absolute deterioration in poverty among countries with comparable data.

Afghanistan, the second-worst affected, saw a 5.3 million increase in poor people. Multidimensional poverty measures more than just income, including education, healthcare, electricity, drinking water, sanitation, housing, and nutrition. With 90.07 million Nigerians now living in poverty, the country is home to 48.7% of its population who are multidimensionally poor.