Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Nigeria
Nigeria: Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total was 78.6 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Nigeria, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 78.6 % for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 110.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Nigeria peaked at 78.6 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 37.4 %, in 2014.
Nigeria ranks 7th of 121 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 37.4 % | — |
| 2015 | 41.7 % | +11.5% |
| 2016 | 46.1 % | +10.6% |
| 2017 | 50.7 % | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 56.9 % | +12.2% |
| 2019 | 65.8 % | +15.6% |
| 2020 | 72 % | +9.4% |
| 2021 | 75.9 % | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 76.8 % | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 78.6 % | +2.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 78.6 % is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47.55 %, 1.7× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 78.6 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64 %, 1.2× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 49.77 % | 37.4 % | 65.8 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 75.83 % | 72 % | 78.6 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 4 Afghanistan 85.3 % compare
- 5 Malawi 82.9 % compare
- 5 Melanesia 55.9 % compare
- 6 Liberia 81.2 % compare
- 7 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 40.5 % compare
- 8 Angola 76 % compare
- 8 Lao People's Democratic Republic 37.2 % compare
- 9 Republic of Moldova 30.1 % compare
- 9 Yemen 75.3 % compare
- 10 Zimbabwe 74.3 % 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 total in Nigeria?
- Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total in Nigeria was 78.6 % 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 total recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 78.6 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.4 % in 2014.
- How does Nigeria rank for prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total?
- Nigeria ranks 7th out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 110.2%. 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 total 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.