Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Nigeria
Nigeria: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 11.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Nigeria, 1985–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 11.3% for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Nigeria peaked at 22.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2022.
That places Nigeria 61st out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 17.9% | — |
| 1992 | 22.8% | +27.5% |
| 1996 | 22.1% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 17.4% | -21.2% |
| 2010 | 12.7% | -26.9% |
| 2012 | 12.7% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 13.2% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 11.3% | -14.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.9% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 22.4% | 22.1% | 22.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.4% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More poverty & inequality data for Nigeria
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.48 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,558 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.607 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 7.17 (2007)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 7.2% (2007)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2007)
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Nigeria?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Nigeria was 11.3% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 22.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2022.
- How does Nigeria rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Nigeria ranks 61st out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.