State Capacity Index in Nigeria

Nigeria: State Capacity Index was -0.39 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
-0.39
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
142nd
of 166 countries
All-time high
-0.0321
in 1975
All-time low
-1.29
in 1967
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Nigeria, 1960–2015

-1.5-1-0.50196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded -0.39 for state capacity index in 2015.

That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 46.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Nigeria peaked at -0.0321 in 1975 and was at its lowest, -1.29, in 1967.

Nigeria ranks 142nd of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.

State Capacity Index in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Nigeria, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -0.9102
1961 -0.9006 -1.1%
1962 -0.8826 -2.0%
1963 -1.06 +20.3%
1964 -1.05 -1.4%
1965 -1.05 -0.0%
1966 -1.14 +9.2%
1967 -1.29 +12.5%
1968 -1.24 -3.7%
1969 -1.15 -6.8%
1970 -1.21 +4.4%
1971 -1.02 -15.5%
1972 -0.6137 -39.7%
1973 -0.3198 -47.9%
1974 -0.0331 -89.7%
1975 -0.0321 -2.8%
1976 -0.1486 +362.6%
1977 -0.162 +9.0%
1978 -0.2647 +63.4%
1979 -0.3624 +36.9%
1980 -0.4025 +11.1%
1981 -0.4529 +12.5%
1982 -0.4543 +0.3%
1983 -0.4691 +3.3%
1984 -0.5197 +10.8%
1985 -0.5179 -0.3%
1986 -0.5978 +15.4%
1987 -0.5626 -5.9%
1988 -0.6892 +22.5%
1989 -0.7575 +9.9%
1990 -0.5734 -24.3%
1991 -0.4095 -28.6%
1992 -0.7231 +76.6%
1993 -0.604 -16.5%
1994 -0.6367 +5.4%
1995 -0.673 +5.7%
1996 -0.7562 +12.4%
1997 -0.607 -19.7%
1998 -0.5736 -5.5%
1999 -0.5326 -7.1%
2000 -0.5486 +3.0%
2001 -0.6146 +12.0%
2002 -0.6756 +9.9%
2003 -0.671 -0.7%
2004 -0.808 +20.4%
2005 -0.7221 -10.6%
2006 -0.691 -4.3%
2007 -0.5146 -25.5%
2008 -0.4041 -21.5%
2009 -0.3948 -2.3%
2010 -0.2281 -42.2%
2011 -0.2243 -1.7%
2012 -0.2601 +16.0%
2013 -0.2699 +3.8%
2014 -0.3984 +47.6%
2015 -0.39 -2.1%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's -0.39 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0123. (43 countries reporting)
  • Nigeria's -0.39 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.0931, 4.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index in Nigeria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1976 -362.6% -0.0321 -0.1486

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -1.07 -1.29 -0.8826 10
1970s -0.4159 -1.21 -0.0321 10
1980s -0.5423 -0.7575 -0.4025 10
1990s -0.6089 -0.7562 -0.4095 10
2000s -0.6044 -0.808 -0.3948 10
2010s -0.2951 -0.3984 -0.2243 6

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 139 Guinea -0.2401 compare
  2. 140 Papua New Guinea -0.2505 compare
  3. 141 Myanmar -0.3026 compare
  4. 143 Cameroon -0.4069 compare
  5. 144 Djibouti -0.4288 compare
  6. 145 Congo -0.4654 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Nigeria?
State capacity index in Nigeria was -0.39 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was -0.0321 in 1975.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was -1.29 in 1967.
How does Nigeria rank for state capacity index?
Nigeria ranks 142nd out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.