Two-thirds households in Nigeria lack money for healthy food — NBS survey

The report, titled “Nigeria General Household Survey – Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 (2023/2024), highlights the country’s multidimensional poverty and the diminishing purchasing power of Nigerians caused by rising prices of goods and services.

The survey also revealed that Nigerian households experience an average of 6.7 power outages per week.

On food insecurity, the report states, “Approximately two out of three households reported being unable to consume healthy, nutritious, or preferred foods in the past 30 days due to lack of money.

Additionally, 63.8% ate limited types of food, 62.4% expressed concern about not having enough to eat, and 60.5% consumed less than they believed they should.”

The data shows a significant rise in food insecurity, with the proportion of households worried about insufficient food increasing from 36.9% in Wave 4 to 62.4% in Wave 5.

Regarding energy access, the survey found that 82.2% of urban households have electricity, compared to just 40.4% in rural areas.

However, most households endure frequent blackouts, averaging 6.7 per week. Cooking practices remain traditional, with 65% of households using three-stone stoves and 70.2% relying on wood for fuel, although liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) usage is rising.

Basic infrastructure also remains inadequate. Many households lack toilet facilities, depend on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water, and rely on informal waste disposal methods, with 45.6% using bushes or streets.

On asset ownership, the survey revealed a decline since 2018/19. Despite this, two-thirds of households own mobile phones, and 21.3% have internet access. Homeownership stands at 70.4%, with rural areas reporting higher rates (80.1%) compared to urban areas (49.1%).