Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria
Nigeria: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult was 78.9 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria stood at 78.9 %. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 115.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria peaked at 78.9 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 36.7 %, in 2014.
That places Nigeria 7th out of 121 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 36.7 % | — |
| 2015 | 41 % | +11.7% |
| 2016 | 45.8 % | +11.7% |
| 2017 | 51.6 % | +12.7% |
| 2018 | 58.6 % | +13.6% |
| 2019 | 67.4 % | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 73 % | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 76.2 % | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 77.2 % | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 78.9 % | +2.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 78.9 % is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 48.05 %, 1.6× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 78.9 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 %, 1.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 50.18 % | 36.7 % | 67.4 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 76.33 % | 73 % | 78.9 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 4 Afghanistan 88.2 % compare
- 4 Melanesia 55.7 % compare
- 5 Malawi 83.8 % compare
- 6 Liberia 81.9 % compare
- 7 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 39.4 % compare
- 7 Caribbean 55.5 % compare
- 8 Angola 78.8 % compare
- 8 Lao People's Democratic Republic 37.9 % compare
- 9 Republic of Moldova 35.5 % compare
- 9 Yemen 76.5 % compare
- 10 Zimbabwe 75.8 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult in Nigeria was 78.9 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 78.9 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.7 % in 2014.
- How does Nigeria rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult?
- Nigeria ranks 7th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 115.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Upper bound. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.