The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released a report on the poverty rate in Nigeria. The report shows that about 133 million Nigerians live in poverty, representing 64 per cent of the entire population.
The NBS report surpasses the World Bank projection for Nigeria’s poverty rate, which says that about 95.1 million Nigerians will fall into the poverty bracket in 2022.
Poverty higher in rural areas of Nigeria
The NBS report states that Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor, taking into account various aspects of poverty indicators, including money poverty, food poverty, and security.
The report also revealed that Nigeria is plagued with urban and rural poverty, with the poverty rate higher in rural areas.
According to the report, about 70 per cent of Nigerians living in rural areas are poor, while 30 per cent of urban dwellers live in poverty.
The report also spotlights Nigeria’s poorest states and poorest zones. It shows poverty is higher in the north than in the south, with the northwest being the epicentre of poverty in Nigeria.
Despite the monthly allocation by the federal government, the states in the north, mostly plagued by insurgency, banditry and general insecurity, have remained poor.
Poverty by geopolitical zones
Four of the five poorest states in Nigeria are from the north, while Bayelsa, an oil-producing state, is shockingly ranked second on the index.
North-central and northeast follow the northwest.
The poorest geo-political zones are:
• North West has 45.49 million people living in poverty
• North East has 20.47 million people living in poverty
• North Central, with about 20.19 million people living in poverty
• South-South has a high number of people living in poverty, with 19.66 million.
• South West has about 16.27 million people being poor.
• And South East is the least poor zone in Nigeria, with 10.86 million living in poverty.
A breakdown of poverty by state shows Sokoto as the state with the highest poverty.
1. Kano, 10.51
2. Kaduna, 8.04
3. Katsina, 6.92
4. Sokoto, 5.81
5. Jigawa, 5.76
6. Bauchi, 5.71
7. Akwa Ibom, 5.08
8. Benue, 4.71
9. Rivers, 4.40
10. Plateau, 4.32
11. Kebbi, 4.28
12. Lagos, 4.22
13. Zamfara, 4.17
14. Oyo, 3.79
15. Ogun, 3.78
16. Yobe, 3.23
17. Gombe, 3.02
18. Kogi, 2.88
19. Taraba, 2.81
20. Delta, 2.73
21. Enugu, 2.63
22. Bayelsa, 2.61
23. Borno, 2.25
24. Osun, 1.88
25. Imo, 1.80
26. Kwara, 1.72
27. Anambra, 1.64
28. FCT Abuja, 1.59
29. Edo, 1.40
30. Nasarawa, 1.36
31. Ebonyi, 3.66
32. Niger, 3.60
33. Adamawa, 3.44
34. Cross River, 3.44
35. Ekiti, 1.31
36. Ondo, 1.30
37. Abia, 1.12
