Nigeria’s multidimensional poverty rate climbed to 38.7 per cent in 2024, up from 33 per cent in 2021, with an additional 17.9 million people experiencing multiple forms of deprivation, according to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index.
The report, released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday, October 12, put the number of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty at 90.1 million in 2024, compared with 72.2 million in 2021.
Produced in partnership with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, the report said Nigeria recorded the highest increase in the number of multidimensionally poor people among five countries whose latest assessments showed worsening conditions.
The others were Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Guinea and Kyrgyzstan.
The latest figures represent a reversal of earlier gains, following a decline in Nigeria’s poverty rate from 42.3 per cent in 2013 to 37.2 per cent in 2018 and 33 per cent in 2021.
Nigeria’s Multidimensional Poverty Index value rose from 0.175 in 2021 to 0.208 in 2024, while the intensity of deprivation increased from 52.9 per cent to 53.6 per cent.
Unlike income-based measures, the index examines overlapping disadvantages in health, education and living standards. I
ts indicators cover nutrition, child mortality, schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing and household assets.
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People are classified as multidimensionally poor when they experience deprivation in at least one-third of the weighted indicators.
The UNDP cautioned that Nigeria’s figures reflect household survey data collected in 2024, not a direct assessment of poverty in 2026.
The report also identified substantial regional disparities, with poverty incidence ranging from 3.7 per cent to 88.3 per cent across Nigerian subnational areas.
It noted that locations such as Yobe and Sokoto could experience different forms of deprivation despite recording similar overall poverty levels.
Globally, about 1.2 billion people across 108 countries experience acute multidimensional poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 616 million, while South Asia has 393 million.
Children bear a disproportionate burden, representing 617 million, or 51.5 per cent, of those affected worldwide. Rural communities account for 83.3 per cent of the global total.
The report said 534 million people face severe multidimensional poverty, while another 952 million are vulnerable.
However, 33 of 89 countries with comparable data have halved their MPI values within 15 years, demonstrating that targeted policies can help advance the UN goal of halving poverty in all its dimensions by 2030.