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Wafric News | May 4, 2025


ABUJA — Nigeria’s deepening economic troubles have pushed a staggering 75.5% of its rural population into poverty, according to a new report from the World Bank, spotlighting widening inequality and growing hardship in Africa’s most populous nation.

In its April 2025 Nigeria Poverty and Equity Brief, the World Bank warned that Nigeria's rural areas are bearing the brunt of inflation, insecurity, and stalled economic progress — with poverty levels now nearly double those seen in urban centres.

While about 41.3% of Nigeria’s urban population live below the poverty line, that figure skyrockets to over three-quarters in rural communities, where many rely on subsistence farming and lack access to essential services.

“Nigeria remains spatially unequal,” the report states. “Poverty is concentrated in the north and in rural areas where structural challenges persist.”

Nationwide Poverty Rising Sharply

The World Bank estimates that more than 54% of Nigerians now live in poverty, up significantly from 30.9% in 2018/19 — the last time comprehensive national data was collected. That means roughly 42 million more Nigerians have fallen below the poverty line in just a few years.

The report attributes this sharp rise to a series of overlapping crises: economic stagnation, inflation, removal of fuel subsidies, weakening of the naira, and widespread insecurity.

Children, women, and those with limited education are among the most affected:

  • 72.5% of children under 14 are poor

  • 63.9% of females and 63.1% of males live on less than $3.65 per day

  • 79.5% of adults without formal education are poor

  • Even among those with secondary education, half still live in poverty

Poverty Not Just About Money — It’s Multidimensional

Beyond income, many Nigerians are grappling with broader signs of deprivation. The World Bank highlights several worrying indicators:

  • 32.6% lack access to safe drinking water

  • 45.1% lack basic sanitation

  • 39.4% have no electricity

  • 17.6% of adults haven’t completed primary school

  • 9% of households have school-aged children who aren’t enrolled in school

Rural Livelihoods Under Pressure

The report warns that rural Nigerians are trapped in a cycle of low-productivity agriculture, vulnerable to climate shocks and lacking infrastructure. Many are farming for survival, not profit — and with limited alternatives, their ability to rise out of poverty remains slim.

“Job creation remains weak, and rural economies continue to rely on subsistence farming with minimal productivity gains,” the Bank said.

Oil Dependency and Structural Problems Blamed

Nigeria’s over-reliance on oil and lack of economic diversification are once again under the microscope. The World Bank says the country’s slow poverty reduction is a result of its failure to transform structurally, create jobs, and build resilience against global and local shocks.

From 2010 to 2019, Nigeria’s poverty rate declined by just 0.5% annually, reflecting minimal progress even before COVID-19 hit.

What Can Be Done?

The Bank has called for urgent reforms to protect vulnerable populations from inflation and food insecurity. It also recommends:

  • Expanding social protection (like the cash transfer program recently rolled out to 15 million households)

  • Investing in education, healthcare, and rural infrastructure

  • Driving economic diversification beyond oil

  • Creating more productive employment opportunities, especially for youth and women

While some reforms are already underway, the World Bank warns they are too slow to match the pace of Nigeria’s growing poverty crisis.

“Without bold, sustained action, poverty will continue to deepen — especially in rural Nigeria,” the report concluded.


By WafricNews Desk.

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