Nigeria Records World’s Largest Rise in Multidimensional Poverty, 17.9 Million More Affected

Nigeria recorded the world’s largest increase in the number of people living in multidimensional poverty, with an additional 17.9 million Nigerians falling into poverty between 2021 and 2024, according to the **2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

The figure highlights the scale of the country’s poverty challenge, with millions of households facing overlapping deprivations in essential areas of life, including education, healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, housing and access to basic services.

Unlike income-based poverty measurements, the Multidimensional Poverty Index assesses the different ways people experience poverty simultaneously, providing a broader picture of living conditions beyond earnings alone.

The reported increase raises fresh questions about the effectiveness of poverty-reduction policies, social protection programmes and economic reforms in cushioning vulnerable households against rising living costs.

For Nigeria, the challenge extends beyond economic growth figures to whether ordinary citizens can afford food, access healthcare, keep children in school and secure decent housing and other necessities.

The additional 17.9 million people identified in the report represent a significant expansion of the population experiencing overlapping forms of deprivation over the period covered.

The findings also underline the importance of targeted interventions, including improved access to quality education and healthcare, nutrition programmes, social protection and sustainable employment opportunities.

**For policymakers, the central question is whether economic reforms and government interventions can translate into measurable improvements in household welfare and reverse the growing burden of multidimensional poverty.**