Policy brief •
Tackling the Resilience Deficit in Northern Nigeria: Strengthening Anticipatory Actions and Recovery Measures
Adedeji Adeniran, Vidya Diwakar, Jamilu Ilyasy
Nigeria
Poverty in Nigeria
The most recent official household survey in Nigeria, conducted in 2018/19, found that 31% of people lived in extreme poverty. Living standards had stagnated for a decade, with people in the north of the country far more likely to live below the poverty line.
Since then, the situation has deteriorated. The World Bank estimates that almost half of Nigerians now live in poverty – an additional 45 million people since 2018/19. The Covid-19 pandemic, climate-related disasters and high inflation have all played a part. As the government responds with measures including cash transfers to millions of households, it’s vital that accurate, up-to-date evidence is available to show the true nature of poverty today and how to respond.
Poverty trends in Nigeria
Life expectancy at birth = 54.5 years (2023) – HDI scale
75.5%
of the rural population are living in poverty
32.6%
of the population has no access to limited-standard drinking water
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DEEP’s work in Nigeria
Everywhere we work, we seek answers to three questions:
In one recent study, we used household surveys, economic simulations and statistical analysis to explore how Covid-19, conflict and climate change have impacted global poverty. It showed that those in poverty today are more likely to live in urban areas and be educated, and less likely to work in agriculture. This has significant implications for poverty responses in Nigeria, which has the highest level of extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. We’ve also recently estimated poverty trends in Nigeria and analysed the impact of multidimensional poverty.