Share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of people who are undernourished was 19.9 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
In 2023, share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria stood at 19.9 percent. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and up 74.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria peaked at 19.9 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.7 percent, in 2001.
Nigeria ranks 27th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 8.7 percent | — |
| 2002 | 8.7 percent | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8.8 percent | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 8.9 percent | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 9.1 percent | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 9.2 percent | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 9.4 percent | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 9.6 percent | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 9.9 percent | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 10.4 percent | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 11.1 percent | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 11.7 percent | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 11.4 percent | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 11.1 percent | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 10.7 percent | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 10.8 percent | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 11.5 percent | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 12.1 percent | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 14.3 percent | +18.2% |
| 2020 | 15.8 percent | +10.5% |
| 2021 | 17.6 percent | +11.4% |
| 2022 | 18.7 percent | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 19.9 percent | +6.4% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 19.9 percent is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12 percent, 1.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 19.9 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7 percent, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.14 percent | 8.7 percent | 9.9 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 11.51 percent | 10.4 percent | 14.3 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 18 percent | 15.8 percent | 19.9 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More reference data data for Nigeria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 19.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 81.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 121.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria?
- Share of people who are undernourished in Nigeria was 19.9 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 19.9 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7 percent in 2001.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of people who are undernourished?
- Nigeria ranks 27th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.6%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who are undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.