Nigeria is now home to 19% of the extremely poor population in sub-Saharan Africa, the highest share across the region, according to the World Bank’s April 2025 Africa’s Pulse report. This startling statistic reflects a larger global trend, as sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicenter of extreme poverty, accounting for 80% of the world’s 695 million extremely poor people in 2024.
Nigeria’s share, representing over 106 million people, underscores its position as the country with the highest concentration of poverty in the region. This figure equates to about 15% of the world’s poorest population, a stark reminder of the gravity of Nigeria’s economic challenges. Other countries in the region, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (14%), Ethiopia (9%), and Sudan (6%), also have large poverty populations, contributing to the fact that these four nations host half of sub-Saharan Africa’s poor.
Despite modest improvements in poverty rates in certain countries, the number of extremely poor individuals is set to rise by 90 million between 2022 and 2027. This increase will push the total number of the extremely poor in sub-Saharan Africa to 589 million by 2027.
In Nigeria, the deepening poverty is attributed to structural economic issues such as high inflation, naira depreciation, insecurity, and unemployment. PwC forecasts that 13 million additional Nigerians will fall into poverty in 2025 due to these challenges. Alongside monetary poverty, many Nigerians also face multidimensional poverty, lacking basic necessities like healthcare, education, clean water, and safe housing.
In response, the Nigerian government has rolled out initiatives like the N75,000 cash transfer to 15 million of the country’s poorest citizens and the relaunch of the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, aiming to alleviate some of the pressures. However, experts argue that without broader structural reforms—such as economic diversification, job creation, improved healthcare, and stronger governance—Nigeria risks solidifying its status as the global poverty capital.
Source: Swifteradio.com
