Number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria
Nigeria: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 94.73 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria, 1985–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2022, number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria stood at 94.73 million people. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 41.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria peaked at 94.73 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 43.64 million people, in 1985.
That places Nigeria 1st out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 43.64 million people | 43.64 million people | 43.64 million people | 1 |
| 1990s | 63.11 million people | 56.47 million people | 69.74 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 71.43 million people | 71.43 million people | 71.43 million people | 1 |
| 2010s | 68.05 million people | 65.04 million people | 71.24 million people | 4 |
| 2020s | 94.73 million people | 94.73 million people | 94.73 million people | 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)
- 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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 7.2% (2007)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.677 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 10.6% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.2807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.2807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.2825 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.1863 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Nigeria was 94.73 million people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 94.73 million people in 2022.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.64 million people in 1985.
- How does Nigeria rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Nigeria ranks 1st out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.