Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
Nigeria recorded a sharp increase in multidimensional poverty between 2021 and 2024, with an additional 17.9 million people affected, according to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
The report, released on October 12, 2026, estimated that 90.1 million Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty in 2024, compared with 72.2 million in 2021. The figures indicate a reversal of the country’s earlier progress in reducing overlapping forms of deprivation.
The proportion of Nigerians experiencing multidimensional poverty increased from 33 per cent in 2021 to 38.7 per cent in 2024, placing Nigeria among the countries that recorded worsening poverty conditions during their latest measurement periods.
Nigeria’s Poverty Reduction Progress Reverses
According to the report, Nigeria had made progress in reducing multidimensional poverty during the previous decade before the latest increase.
The country’s multidimensional poverty rate declined from 42.3 per cent in 2013 to 37.2 per cent in 2018 and 33 per cent in 2021. However, the rise recorded in 2024 suggests that the earlier gains were not sustained.
The report also placed Nigeria’s Multidimensional Poverty Index value at 0.208 in 2024, up from 0.175 in 2021. The index reflects both the proportion of people experiencing poverty and the intensity of the disadvantages they face.
The average intensity of deprivation among Nigerians classified as multidimensionally poor also increased from 52.9 per cent to 53.6 per cent over the period.
Nigeria recorded the largest increase in the number of people living in multidimensional poverty among five countries identified by the report as having experienced rising deprivation over their latest measurement periods. Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Guinea and Kyrgyzstan were also included.
What Multidimensional Poverty Means
Multidimensional poverty goes beyond income or the amount of money a person earns. It examines whether people experience several forms of deprivation in their everyday lives, including inadequate healthcare, limited access to education and poor living conditions.
The global MPI assesses poverty across three broad dimensions: health, education and standard of living.
Its indicators include nutrition, child mortality, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing and household assets.
A person is classified as multidimensionally poor when their household is deprived in at least one-third of the weighted indicators used to calculate the index.
This approach helps identify people who may experience several disadvantages simultaneously, even when income figures alone do not fully capture their circumstances.
For example, a household may struggle with unreliable electricity, inadequate sanitation, limited access to clean water and children missing school. Examining these conditions together provides a broader picture of deprivation than looking at income alone.
Why the Findings Matter for Nigeria
The increase in multidimensional poverty presents a significant development challenge for Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
The figures suggest that millions of additional people experienced overlapping disadvantages during the three-year period, highlighting the difficulty of translating economic activity and policy measures into improved living conditions for households.
Poverty can affect access to nutritious food, healthcare, education, safe housing, clean water and reliable energy. When several of these needs are unmet at the same time, families may face greater obstacles to improving their circumstances.
Children can be particularly vulnerable because inadequate nutrition, interrupted schooling and poor access to healthcare can affect their development and future opportunities.
The findings also underline the importance of examining living conditions across different states and communities rather than relying exclusively on national averages.
Regional Differences Require Targeted Responses
The report highlights substantial differences in multidimensional poverty across the Nigerian subnational areas covered by its analysis.
Reported poverty incidence ranged from 3.7 per cent to 88.3 per cent, illustrating the wide disparities in deprivation across the areas examined.
Such differences matter because communities can experience poverty in different ways. One area may face particularly severe education-related deprivation, while another may struggle more with access to healthcare, electricity, drinking water or sanitation.
Policies designed around a single national average may therefore fail to address the specific challenges confronting different communities.
The findings point to the importance of using reliable local data to guide public spending and development programmes. Interventions can be more effective when they respond to the particular needs of the populations they are intended to support.
Poverty Measurement and Economic Well-Being
The latest figures also demonstrate why multidimensional poverty statistics should be considered alongside other economic indicators.
Income-based measures assess whether people have sufficient financial resources to meet defined needs. The multidimensional approach, by contrast, examines the conditions in which people live and the services available to them.
The two approaches provide different but complementary information. A household may earn an income while still lacking adequate sanitation, electricity or access to essential services.
Similarly, changes in the multidimensional poverty rate do not, by themselves, explain the precise causes of worsening conditions. Establishing those causes requires further examination of household survey data, economic developments, public services and other relevant factors.
The UNDP and OPHI report provides evidence of the scale and direction of deprivation, but the figures should not be interpreted as a complete assessment of every aspect of Nigeria’s economy.
Implications for Government and Development Policy
The increase in the number of Nigerians experiencing multidimensional poverty raises questions about how effectively development programmes are reaching vulnerable households.
The report’s findings make access to education, healthcare, adequate housing, clean water, sanitation and reliable energy important areas for policy attention.
Reducing deprivation requires more than increasing household income. It also involves improving the availability, affordability and quality of essential services, particularly in communities where multiple disadvantages overlap.
For policymakers, the data can help identify where interventions may be most urgently needed. For development organisations, the findings provide a basis for examining which communities face the greatest barriers to improved living conditions.
However, the report’s statistics alone do not establish which individual government policies caused the increase. That assessment would require additional evidence and a detailed evaluation of economic conditions and public programmes during the period.
What Happens Next?
The latest MPI findings provide a benchmark for assessing Nigeria’s progress in reducing poverty and improving living standards.
The figures also offer policymakers, researchers and development organisations an opportunity to examine why progress recorded before 2021 was reversed and which interventions could help address the underlying forms of deprivation.
Future assessments will be important in determining whether the country can reduce the number of people affected and improve access to essential services.
For now, the central finding is clear: Nigeria’s multidimensional poverty rate increased between 2021 and 2024, with 17.9 million additional people affected. Reversing that trend will require sustained attention to the conditions that prevent households from achieving better health, education and living standards.
For millions of Nigerians, the challenge extends beyond income. It concerns access to the basic services and opportunities needed to live with dignity and build a more secure future.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) — 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index.
- UNDP — Global multidimensional poverty rises for first time since 2010.
- TheCable — UN: Nigeria’s multidimensional poverty rate rises to 38.7% as 17.9m citizens battle deprivation.
- International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) — Two in five Nigerians lived in multidimensional poverty in 2024.
