Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria
Nigeria: Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population was 25.2 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria, 2014–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria is 25.2 %, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.0% on the previous year and up 173.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria peaked at 25.2 % in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.2 %, in 2014.
That places Nigeria 9th out of 104 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9.2 % | — |
| 2015 | 9.5 % | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 10.9 % | +14.7% |
| 2017 | 12.6 % | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 15.3 % | +21.4% |
| 2019 | 17.7 % | +15.7% |
| 2020 | 19.5 % | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 21.1 % | +8.2% |
| 2022 | 22.9 % | +8.5% |
| 2023 | 25.2 % | +10.0% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 25.2 % is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.8 %, 2.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 25.2 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.1 %, 1.6× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 12.53 % | 9.2 % | 17.7 % | 6 |
| 2020s | 22.18 % | 19.5 % | 25.2 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 6 Sierra Leone 27.7 % compare
- 7 Namibia 27 % compare
- 7 Caribbean 20 % compare
- 8 Kenya 26.2 % compare
- 8 Republic of Moldova 5.1 % compare
- 9 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.5 % compare
- 10 Chad 24.3 % compare
- 10 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 3.1 % compare
- 11 Eswatini 24.1 % compare
- 11 Viet Nam 1.4 % compare
- 12 Lesotho 23.8 % 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 severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria?
- Prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population in Nigeria was 25.2 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 25.2 % in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2 % in 2014.
- How does Nigeria rank for prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population?
- Nigeria ranks 9th out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe food insecurity in the female adult population rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 173.9%. 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 severe food insecurity in the female adult population (percent) (3-year average) — Confidence interval: Lower 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.